:''See also

Russell Island (disambiguation) Russell Island may refer to: * Russell Island (British Columbia), Canada, one of the Gulf Islands * Russell Island (Frankland Islands), in Queensland, Australia * Russell Island (Michigan), United States * Russell Island (Moreton Bay), in Queensla ...

.''

The Russell Islands are two small islands ( Pavuvu and Mbanika), as well as several

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

s, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of

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 ...

. They are located approximately northwest of

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the se ...

. The islands are partially covered in

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

plantations, and have a

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 ...

and oil factory at Yandina (on Mbanika). Yandina also has basic services, including a store, post office, and airport.

People

The Lavukal people live on these islands. Their language is Lavukaleve. There is also a settlement of Polynesians, resettled from

Tikopia Tikopia is a high island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It forms a part of the Melanesian nation state of Solomon Islands but is culturally Polynesian. The first Europeans arrived on 22 April 1606 as part of the Spanish expedition of Pedro F ...

, that lives in Nukufero on the west side of the larger island, Pavuvu. In 1956 the

Levers Pacific Plantations Levers Pacific Plantations Ltd. was a British company incorporated in 1902, by William Lever, in London, as a subsidiary of Lever Brothers which wanted to get more control on raw materials like copra for its soap, mainly for Lever Brothers Facto ...

company donated 80 acres for use for this resettlement, and later added another 125 acres in the 1960s. This land was subdivided into 4 acre lots for each family. Five hundred people from Tikopia had migrated there by 1965. Te Ariki Taumako who was the third Chief of Tikopia, made an official visit to Nukufero in 1965. In Yandina, people from all over the Solomon Islands have come to work for the plantation. In addition to their native languages, they speak Solomon Island Pijin, the ''

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

'' of the Solomon Islands.

History

In March 1943, as part of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

military operations during the Solomons campaign of

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 islands were occupied by U.S. troops. The US Navy built

Naval Base Banika Island Naval Base Banika Island was a United States Navy base built during World War II on Mbanika Island in the Russell Islands, part of the Solomon Islands. A larger supply depot was built to support the ships fighting in the Pacific War. Also b ...

a large naval base in 1943. Remnants of the U.S. presence, such as concrete slabs and large metal storage sheds, still exist. Unexploded ordnance was left behind, including

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

s, and bounding

anti-personnel mine Anti-personnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. Anti-personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines; the latter may ...

s. Two barges are sunk off the wharf. The Yandina police station was the scene of one of the opening events of ethnic tensions, where a group of men raided the armoury and stole some high-powered weapons and ammunition. The group involved became known as the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army, and later as the Isatabu Freedom Movement. Yandina was the site of a

RAMSI The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), also known as Operation Helpem Fren, Operation Anode and Operation Rata (by New Zealand), was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the Governor-General of ...

post.

Facilities

Havuna Primary School and Yandina Community High School are in the Russell Islands. In 2013 members of the

Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

HMAS Tarakan (L 129) BRP ''Batak'' (LC-299) is a ''Balikpapan''-class heavy landing craft operated by the Philippine Navy. One of eight vessels built by Walkers Limited for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the ship was commissioned into Australian service in 1973 a ...

rebuilt classrooms in the high school. At that time the principal was Augustine Olibuma.

HMAS Diamantina (M 86) HMAS ''Diamantina'' (M 86), named after the Diamantina River, is a Huon-class minehunter, ''Huon''-class minehunter currently serving in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built by a joint partnership between Australian Defence Industries (ADI) an ...

and

HMAS Huon (M 82) HMAS ''Huon'' (M 82), named for the Huon River, is the lead ship of the ''Huon'' class of minehunters operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The first of six ships built by a joint partnership of Australian Defence Industries (ADI) and ...

sailors visited the high school in 2016. At one time the Yandina Plantation Resort provided tourist accommodation for scuba divers. It opened in October 2000 with 12 guest rooms.

Geography

North of the western island Pavuvu are the islets Mane Island, Leru Island, Marulaon Island, and Hanawisi. South of Pavuvu is Boloka, and Alokan Island. Eastwards from Mbanika is Loun Island, Telin Island, and Moie, and Laumuan Island. Northeast of Mbanika is Koemurun Island and Kaukau Island. Other localities on the large island are Lokioleme and Pipisala. On Pavuvu in addition to Yandina, there is also Suun.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Islands of the Solomon Islands Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean