Western Province is the largest 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 Capital Territory. History Under the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, there were ini ...

. The area is renowned for its beautiful tropical islands, excellent diving and snorkelling, coral reefs and World War II wrecks,

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

lodges, and head-hunting shrines. The province contains many small

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...

s and most of the country's

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

trade outside

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 ...

History

The

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

Mission in the Western Province was established by Rev. John Francis Goldie in 1902. He dominated the mission and gained the loyalty of Solomon Islander members of his church. The relationship with the colonial administrators of the British Solomon Island Protectorate were also fraught with difficulty, at this time due to Goldie's effective control over the Western Solomon Islands. From 1927 to 1934 Dr Edward Sayers worked at the

mission where he established a hospital at Gizo, and also at Munda and Vella Lavella, and carried out fieldwork in the treatment of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. ...

.Sayers, E. G. (1943) ''Malaria in the South Pacific with Special Reference to the Solomon Islands''. New Zealand Government Printing Office It is also renowned as where the American Navy ship commanded by John F. Kennedy was bombed and sunk by the Japanese during the Second World War.

Tourism

The provincial capital is Gizo, with a population of 7,177 (as of the 2009 Census), and the second largest town in the country. There are airports at Gizo, Munda, Seghe, Viru, Ramata, Gatokae, Ringgi Cove, Barakoma & Balalai. The Western Province is considered the tourism mecca of the Solomon Islands, and is by far the most accommodating area, with multiple

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s and

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

s, dive shops, ecotourism attractions

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

s, and

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on i ...

tours. Munda, the largest town on New Georgia island, has a landing strip built during World War II by the US and is listed as an emergency landing runway, capable of handling even jumbo jets. The diving in the Western Province is pristine as tourists tend to visit nearby Fiji for diving rather than visiting the less developed Solomon Islands. Also, malaria is a concern in the Solomons, which keeps many tourists away. The result is spectacular dive conditions with untouched coral reefs. Munda, Uepi, and Gizo are considered some of the Western Province's best dive locations. The region supports some of the highest coral and fish diversity in the world. The Western Province and nearby Choiseul Province were significantly affected by 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake that struck on April 2, 2007 and an associated tsunami. It caused 100+ significant (in excess of magnitude 4.0) aftershocks. The official death toll was 52 with several thousand persons displaced, most of the displaced are expected to be living in temporary shelters for a minimum of between 6 and 9 months. The island of Ranongga to the west of Gizo was uplifted by around 2.5 – 3 metres resulting in the death of its fringing reef and also opening massive fissures in the island itself. Reefs around Munda and Uepi were largely unaffected by the tsunami and earthquake.

Administrative divisions

Western Province is sub-divided into the following wards, listed with their populations at the 2009 Census: * Western Province (76,649) **Outer Shortlands (1,306) **Inner Shortlands (2,397) ** Simbo (1,782) **North Ranongga (541) **Central Ranongga (2,514) **South Ranongga (3,305) **Vonunu (3,558) **Mbilua (4,290) **Ndovele (1,967) **Irringgilla (2,833) ** Gizo (7,177) **South Kolombangara (4,023) ** Vonavona (5,515) **Kusaghe (2,238) ** Munda (2,620) **Nusa Roviana (1,995) **Roviana Lagoon (4,675) **South Rendova (2,477) **North Rendova (1,724) **Kolombaghea (1,783) **Mbuini Tusu (2,965) **Nono (3,610) ** Nggatokae (3,050) **North Vangunu (2,661) ** Noro (3,365) **North Kolombangara (2,278)

Islands

* Akara Island * Faisi * Fauro Island * Gizo * Ghoi *

Kennedy Island Kennedy Island (local name Kasolo Island, also known as Plum Pudding Island), is a , uninhabited island in Solomon Islands that was named after John F. Kennedy, following an incident involving Kennedy during his World War II naval career. Kennedy ...

* Kiambe * Kingguru *

Kohinggo Arundel Island is an island of the New Georgia Islands archipelago in the Western Province of Solomon Islands. Its indigenous names are ''Kohinggo'' and ''Ndokulu''. Geography Arundel Island is located between Kolombangara and New Georgia islands ...

Kolombangara Kolombangara (sometimes spelled ''Kulambangara'') is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the nation state of Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The name is from a local language, a rough translation of its meaning is ...

* Liapari * Logha * Lola Island * Marovo Island * Marovo Lagoon * Matikuri *

Mbava Mbava (also called Baga) is an island in Solomon Islands, lying just west of Vella Lavella. It is located in the New Georgia Islands The New Georgia Islands are part of the Western Province of Solomon Islands. They are located to the north ...

* Mborokua *

Mbulo Island Mbulo is an island in Western Province, Solomon Islands. Lying in the eastern part of the New Georgia Islands, Mbulo is heavily forested with a volcanic center. The terrain elevation above sea level has been estimated to be about 125 metres, but SR ...

* Mondomondo * Mono Island * Nakaza * New Georgia * Nggatokae * Nusatupe * Ranongga * Rendova *

Shortland Island Shortland Island (once known as ''Alu'') is the largest island of the Shortland Islands archipelago, in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, at . The original name was a Melanesian word, while the current name was given to the island b ...

* Simbo *

Stirling Island Stirling Island (also Sterling Island) is the smaller island of the Treasury Islands, Solomon Islands. Geography Stirling is about long and located some south of Shortland. The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is . Stirling Island is ...

* Telina *

Tetepare Tetepare Island is the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific, located at . It is a part of Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It covers approximately . Tetepare supports pristine lowland rainforest and a rich inshore marine area ...

* Uepi * Vella Lavella * Vangunu * Vonavona

References

External links

Provincial Profile of the West, People First Network

Digital Photo Library of the West from the People First Network

{{Authority control Provinces of the Solomon Islands