Makira-Ulawa Province is one of the nine

provinces of Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is divided into nine provinces. The national capital, Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal, is separately governed as the country's Honiara, Capital Territory. History Under the British Solomon Islands, British Solomon Islan ...

Geography

The main part of the province is

Makira The island of Makira (also known as San Cristobal and San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Islands. It is third most populous island after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020 ...

Island. It has a population of 40,419 (2009). The capital is

Kirakira Kirakira is the provincial capital of the Makira-Ulawa Province in Solomon Islands. Kirakira is located on the north coast of Makira (formerly San Cristobal), the largest island of the province. It has roads running east to the ...

. Makira-Ulawa Province includes

(San Cristobal), Ulawa, Uki Ni Masi,

Owaraha Owaraha or Owa Raha (also known as Santa Ana) is an island in Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands. Description This relatively small coral island is 5.6 km long and 4.5 km wide. It is located at the eastern end of Makira (San Cristob ...

(Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina), Pio and others.

Makira Island The island of Makira (also known as San Cristobal and San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Islands. It is third most populous island after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020. ...

is 3090km²: 139km long by 40km wide at around the centre of the island. Mountains run like a spine down the island's centre: the highest point reaches 1040 m, then falls steeply to the sea along its southern shore. Many rivers penetrate the island in roughly parallel lines every two to five kilometres. Makira has more inland

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s—and saltwater

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

s—than any other island in the

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 capita ...

. Its coast is the only part of the Solomons where the rare Olive, or Pacific Ridley, turtle is known to visit and nest. Because Makira Island was isolated for long stretches of time during periods of high sea level, a wide variety of unique plants and animals evolved. For example, 12 of its 70 resident species of birds are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

, as are two species of trees, both

figs The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

(''

Ficus cristobalensis ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending int ...

'' and '' Ficus illiberalis''). This uniqueness highlights the importance of preserving Makira's

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. Makira is also among the most important islands in the country for birds. There are some bird watching spots on the island. At the village of Hauta, situated hundreds of metres above sea level, at the Bauro inland region an established conservation area exists. However, one requires a permission to visit, which can be acquired from the Provincial Office at

Population

In 2009, the total population was estimated to be 40,419. Makira-Ulawa people are mostly Melanesian and their traditional dances and rituals are still strongly kept, especially in the islands of Santa Ana (Owaraha), Santa Catalina (Owariki), Uki-ni-masi and Ulawa. On Makira, five

languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

are spoken: Arosi, Bauro, Fagani, Kahua, and Owa. The Bauro speakers have been considered to be the most isolated and conservative of the Makira groups. The people of Ulawa and Ugi Island speak Sa'a.ethnologue.com
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Administrative divisions

Makira-Ulawa Province is sub-divided into the following wards: * Makira-Ulawa Province (40,419) **North Ulawa (1,169) **South Ulawa (1,294) **West Ulawa (860) **Ugi and Pio (1,212) **Arosi South (3,009) **Arosi West (2,009) **Arosi North (2,344) **Arosi East (2,054) **Bauro West (3,925) **Bauro Central (4,562) **Bauro East (1,625) **Wainoni West (2,131) **Wainoni East (2,488) **Star Harbour North (3,262) ** Santa Ana (1,547) ** Santa Catalina (811) **Star Harbour South (1,138) **Rawo (677) **Weather Cast (1,658) **Haununu (2,644)

Islands

* Ali'ite *

(San Cristobal) * Malaulalo * Malaupaina *

(Santa Ana) * Owariki (Santa Catalina) * Pio * Ugi * Ulawa

References

{{Authority control Provinces of the Solomon Islands States and territories established in 1981 1981 establishments in the Solomon Islands