Luganville is the second largest city in
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of ...
after the capital
Port Vila
Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate.
Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...
; it is located on the island of
Espiritu Santo and has a population of 18,062 as of the 2020 census.
[ Those on Vanuatu's northern islands who regard Luganville as their big city, particularly indigenous populations, call it Santo; rural residents of Espiritu Santo call it Kanal (from French "second canal"). Luganville served as a major base of operations for ]American troops
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.[
Boulevard Higinson, the main street that runs through Luganville, contains mainly tourist boutiques and general stores.] During WWII, the Americans used the Espiritu Santo as a military base; as a result of the occupation, Boulevard Higinson is unusually wide, as a base commander insisted that four tanks should be able to drive along the road simultaneously. At one end of Higinson is the port, one of two main ports for the island.
History
World War II
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the American military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
erected two bases on two islands of what is now Vanuatu (a British-French colony known then as New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides, Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the isla ...
), one of which being Espiritu Santo. A village of small, spaced-out communities was established into one city: Luganville. Base Button is the largest U.S. base in the South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, covering 38 miles, and was used mainly for maintenance and supply storage.[ Luganville was a major part of preparing American units for the ]Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...
. Four airfields were built; Palikulo Bay Airfield
Palikulo Bay Airfield or Bomber Field #1 is a former World War II airfield on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands at the Espiritu Santo Naval Base.
History
World War II
The 7th Naval Construction Battalion arrived on Santo ...
, Turtle Bay Airfield
Turtle Bay Airfield or Fighter Field #1 is a former World War II airfield on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands at the Espiritu Santo Naval Base.
History
World War II
The first bases on Espiritu Santo were established ...
, and Luganville Airfield
Luganville Airfield or Bomber Field #3 is a former World War II airfield on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands at the Espiritu Santo Naval Base.
History
World War II
The Seabees of the 40th Naval Construction Battalion ...
no longer exist, but the Bomber 3 was turned into Santo-Pekoa International Airport.[ Other facilities built were five military hospitals, Luganville Seaplane Base, Pontoon Wharf, a floating drydock, and thousands of Quonset huts.][
]
Independence
By the second half of the 20th century, Luganville was largely French-speaking
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in No ...
and initially resisted the attempts to gain independence leading up to its declaration on July 30, 1980. French troops initially attempted to quash the flag-raising in Luganville, but returned to France in August instead. Some unrest arose between political parties vying for power, but has since been largely peaceful.[
]
Population
As of the 2016 census, 98.7% of Luganville was of Melanesian and/or Ni-Vanuatu
Ni-Vanuatu (informally abbreviated Ni-Van) is a large group of closely related Melanesian ethnic groups native to the island country of Vanuatu. As such, ''Ni-Vanuatu'' are a mixed ethnolinguistic group with a shared ethnogenesis that speak a mu ...
descent. Those of non-Melanesian descent are a minority and are European, other Pacific Islander, and Asian peoples.
Part of the city is formed by squatted informal settlements
Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the info ...
such as La Milice, Mango, Pepsi, Rowok, Sarakata and St Michel. Mango was first settled by Vietnamese migrants who constructed shelters out of scrap metal left behind by the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
. The Vietnamese were repatriated in the 1960s and it was then occupied by Ni-Vanuatu
Ni-Vanuatu (informally abbreviated Ni-Van) is a large group of closely related Melanesian ethnic groups native to the island country of Vanuatu. As such, ''Ni-Vanuatu'' are a mixed ethnolinguistic group with a shared ethnogenesis that speak a mu ...
migrants.
Economy and infrastructure
Luganville's economy suffered after Vanuatu declared independence in 1980.[ It has a strong tourist industry, namely in the areas of World War II artifacts and scuba diving ( SS President Coolidge is a popular site as are the coral reefs), and is a destination for many cruise lines.] Its other main industries are agriculture, cattle, and offshore financial services. The market along Boulevard Higinson is popular for its inexpensive food.[
Northern Provincial Hospital is one of two main referring hospitals on Espiritu Santo and serves people from other northern islands in Vanuatu as well as its own residents. Luganville is home to Vanuatu Health Training Institute, one of the two medical training schools on the island, but there are not enough graduates to prevent a shortage of medical professionals.] Though medical expenses make up 50% of the government's budget, the hospital still relies heavily on donations.[
There are six main banking organizations in Luganville: ]Reserve Bank of Vanuatu
The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu is the central bank of Vanuatu (an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean). It was initially known as the Central Bank of Vanuatu after the nation's independence from France and the United Kingdom.
The b ...
, Wanfuteng Bank, the National Bank of Vanuatu, Bank South Pacific
Bank South Pacific (or BSP) is the largest bank in Papua New Guinea, with 35 branches throughout the country and in 6 countries. BSP currently services over 650,000 business banking customers throughout the Pacific. As at 31 December 2014, BSP had ...
, BRED Bank, and ANZ Bank
ANZ may refer to:
People
* Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician
Banks
* ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia
** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand
* ...
.
Broadband internet was not available in Luganville until late 2006.
Transportation
Luganville is one of Vanuatu's busiest ports, especially as a transshipment
Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination.
One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g ...
point for copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...
, coconut oil, and cacao.[ Canal du Segond, the body of water separating the main island and Luganville from Aore Island, provides the town with an excellent sheltered harbour.] The town is served by Santo-Pekoa International Airport, the second largest airport in Vanuatu. The city is also serviced by a number of taxis, buses, and public transport trucks.[
]
Climate
Luganville features a tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southe ...
(''Af'') under the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
. The town features relatively constant temperatures year-round, with average temperature hovering around . Average precipitation is roughly annually.
Twin towns – sister cities
Luganville is twinned with:
* - Kota Kinabalu
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = From top, left to right, bottom:Kota Kinabalu skyline, Wawasan intersection, Tun Mustapha Tower, Kota Kinabalu Coastal Highway, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, the Wism ...
, Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...
, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
.
* - , New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
.
* - Honiara
Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and li ...
, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
.
* - Port Vila
Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate.
Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of ...
.
* - Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the isla ...
, Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
* - Wanshan Archipelago Wanshan may refer to:
* Wanshan Archipelago, in Guangdong, China
* Wanshan District, in Guizhou, China
* Wanshan Special Vehicle, a manufacturer of trucks in China.
{{disambig