Choiseul Province

The Choiseul Province is one of nine provinces of the Solomon Islands. The four islands comprehensive province lies between the islands of Bougainville and Santa Isabel in the west of the Solomon Islands and has a total area of ​​3837 km ² and had 26,380 inhabitants in 2009. The highest point is Mount Maetabe with 1,060 m in the central highlands of Choiseul.

The following islands are Choiseul Province:

  • Choiseul (also Lauru ) ( 3294 km ²), population 11,000, capital: Malevangga ( other names: Malabague, Malivaga, Maleva, Malevaga, Malivanga, Malivugu )
  • Vaghena (also Wagina ) (243 km ²), 1,000 inhabitants, capital: Vaghena
  • Rob Roy (60 km ² ) uninhabited
  • Other smaller islands such as taro Iceland ( 0.4 km ²), 440 inhabitants (as of 1999), the seat of the provincial capital of Taro

The capital of Choiseul Province is Taro.

Discovery and Naming

When the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Mendaña de Neyra discovered the island in 1568, he named it San Marcos. Then they fell into oblivion. Only 200 years later the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville landed on this island and named it after the then French Foreign Minister and statesman Choiseul.

Culture

Population

The population is made up of several Melanesian tribes, including the Gilbertesen who live on the southern island Vaghena. In the 19th century the head-hunting and the slave trade were widespread. This meant that the island was uninhabited Wagina in the 1870s. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Choiseul islanders were notorious cannibals, so visitors only armed came to these islands. In 1916, there were cruel tribal wars that were not completed until August 8, 1921, the Treaty of Sasamungga. This event is called " Kulabule " and is now a holiday on Choiseul. Many islanders live in simple wooden houses and live off Betelnußanbau.

Football

The people of Choiseul are a soccer enthusiastic people. Your football team is called Lauru Kuvojo. In 2005 she participated in the Solomon Cup, the national football championship in the Solomon Islands. However, they dropped out in the first round.

Flora and Fauna

Choiseul has a flora and fauna that is characterized by both New Guinea and Australia here. The largest mammal is the endangered dugong, a manatee that is found mainly in the waters off Rob Roy. The largest reptile is the well-known Australian saltwater crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ). The bird species found here the Reef egret (Egretta sacra ), the eyebrow duck ( Anas superciliosa ) and the Solomon Eagle ( Haliaeetus sanfordi ). Until the beginning of the 20th century here lived also the now extinct Salomon Dove ( Microgoura meeki ), which now adorns the flag of the Choiseul Province. In addition, located on Choiseul an important breeding ground for the hawksbill turtle. The fauna is represented mainly by mangrove forests and coconut plantations.

Vaghena Island Taro Island Bougainville Island Santa Isabel Island Headhunting Central Province (Solomon Islands) Guadalcanal Province Isabel Province Makira-Ulawa Province Malaita Province Honiara
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