New Georgia Islands

The archipelago of the New Georgia archipelago in the western Pacific Solomon Islands is part of the Western Province. The 20 islands lie 100 to 300 km north- west of the main island of Guadalcanal Solomon Islands. The larger islands have a mountainous profile and are covered by rain forest.

Geography

The main islands of the archipelago are New Georgia ( 2037 km ²), Vella Lavella ( 652 km ²), Kolombangara ( a dormant volcano 705 km ²), Ghizo (35 km ², with the provincial capital Gizo ), Vangunu (509 km ²), Rendova (411 km ² ) and the uninhabited Tetepare (182 km ²). They are all surrounded by coral reefs and enclose the Marovo Lagoon, which is the largest salt water lagoon in the world with 150 kilometers in length.

The biggest cities of the archipelago are Gizo, Munda and Noro. The main sources of income of the islanders are fishing and forestry. Tourism is just not widespread, although the archipelago has a good reputation in diving athletes. The fish life is plentiful. In the Marovo Lagoon schools of king mackerel, jack fish and barracuda are found. Also, eagle rays and manta rays and reef sharks are occasionally seen here.

History

In the 19th century, the area of the islands was feared around the Marovo Lagoon, because the local population was notorious as headhunters. The use of human heads in funeral ceremonies and the cult of the dead drove the peoples regularly hunts head against each other. In the ritual of the stack run new war canoes played heads a central role. The Hunts widened temporarily out even up to Guadalcanal and Santa Isabel. The local population lived in fear until around 1850 the so-called Great peace was proclaimed. However, this peace lasted only until the destabilization by the first Europeans as they drove with their iron axes paths through the jungle. The island Roviana was the most feared place, until the British District Commissioner George Woodford 1900 headhunting officially banned and violently fought. Today remind artifacts, stories, songs and dances of the Solomon Islands population at the time of the head-hunters.

The late U.S. President John F. Kennedy was stranded in early August 1943 at the archipelago on the island and spent Kasolo after the rescue of the crew of his patrol boat PT -109 there for three days until the rescue. The small island was then known as Plum Pudding Iceland or Iceland Kennedy.

• Island Group ( Australia and Oceania)
• Island Group ( Solomon Islands)
• Archipelago ( Salomonensee )
• Island Group ( Solomon Islands )