Guadalcanal Native name: Isatabu
Guadalcanal, position (inset) and main towns
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	9°37′S 160°11′E
Archipelago	Solomon Islands
Area	5336 km²
Highest point	Mt. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Popomanaseu 2449 m[1]
Administration
Solomon Islands
province	Guadalcanal Province
Largest city	Honiara (54,600 2003 est. The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Guadalcanal Province is one of the provinces of the Solomon Islands, consisting of the island of Guadalcanal. Honiara, population 49107 (1999 54600 (2003 est is the Capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered )
Demographics
Population	109,382 (as of 1999)
Density	20. 4/km²

Guadalcanal (local name: Isatabu) is a 2,510 square mile (6,500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands The World War II Guadalcanal Campaign happened on and round the island. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal, was fought between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, in the It is mainly jungle, contains the national capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara, and has a population of 109,382 (1999). Jungle usually refers to a dense Forest in a hot climate such as a Tropical rainforest. Honiara, population 49107 (1999 54600 (2003 est is the Capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered

Overview

Topographical map of Guadalcanal.

Guadalcanal is mountainous. Most of the population is along the north coast. The southern coast is known as the Weather Coast. Guadalcanal is infested with mosquitoes, and malaria is an endemic disease. Mosquitoes are insects in the family Culicidae. They have a pair of scaled wings a pair of Halteres, a slender body and long legs Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Also, kunai grass thrives. Imperata cylindrica is a species of grass in the genus Imperata.

Transport is by a road along the north coast which extends most of the length of the island. Access to the Weather Coast is on foot or via boat or helicopter. History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Honiara International Airport, the Solomon Islands' main airport, is just to the east of Honiara. Honiara International Airport, formerly known as Henderson Field, is an Airport located on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands. It was formerly known as Henderson Field and was built in 1942. Honiara International Airport, formerly known as Henderson Field, is an Airport located on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands.

Much of the northern part of the island is fringed by steeply sloping raised coral reefs. Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water Languages spoken on this island are Tok Pisin and several different Melanesian languages. Tok Pisin ( tok means "word" or "speech" as in "talk" pisin means " Pidgin " is a creole spoken throughout Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people"

History

Western Discovery

A Spanish expedition under Álvaro de Mendaña discovered the island in 1568. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira or Neyra (1542 - October 1595 was a Spanish Navigator. It was named by Mendaña's subordinate Pedro de Ortega after his home town in Andalusia, Guadalcanal. Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area | name = Guadalcanal| province code = 41| region = Sierra Norte de Sevilla (North Mountains of Seville| Postal Code = 41390| coor = | surface = 27497| altitude = 662| distance = 110| reference = However, he did not spell the name consistently (using variously Guadarcana, Guarcana, and Guadalcana), and the island subsequently became known as Guadalcanar. The island later became part of the British Empire and, in 1932, the British changed its spelling to Guadalcanal. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. 'Guadalcanal' is a Spanish name with Arabic roots which dates from the 700 year Moorish reign over the Spanish Iberian Peninsula. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or ^[2] "Guad" is a corruption of the Arabic word wadi, meaning river, and together with the Spanish word for channel or canal, roughly translates as "river channel. "^[3]

Significance in WWII

Main Article: Guadalcanal Campaign

Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor and Singapore, Japanese forces advanced into the South Pacific occupying many islands in an attempt to build a defensive ring around their conquests and threaten the lines of communication between the United States and Australia/New Zealand. The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal, was fought between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, in the The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by Singapore For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. They reached Guadalcanal in May 1942. When the allied forces spotted construction of an airfield on Guadacanal, the United States conducted the first amphibious landing of the war. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It was one of the most hotly contested campaigns for control of the ground, sea and skies of the war. Guadalcanal became a major turning-point in the war as it stopped Japanese expansion. After four months of fighting the Japanese ceased trying to contest the control of the island. They finally evacuated it in February 1943.

Immediately after landing on the island, the allies began finishing the airfield begun by the Japanese. It was then named Henderson Field after a Marine aviator killed in combat during the Battle of Midway. Honiara International Airport, formerly known as Henderson Field, is an Airport located on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands. Aircraft operating from Henderson Field during the campaign were a hodgepodge of Marine, Army, Navy and allied aircraft that became known as the Cactus Air Force. Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the early stages of the Guadalcanal They defended the airfield and threatened any Japanese ships that ventured into the vicinity during daylight hours. However, at night, Japanese naval forces were able to shell the airfield and deliver troops and supplies, retiring before daylight. The Japanese used fast ships to make these runs, and this became known as the Tokyo Express. The Tokyo Express was the name given by Allied forces to the use of Imperial Japanese Navy ships at night to deliver personnel supplies and equipment to Japanese So many ships from both sides were sunk in the many engagements in and around the Solomon Island chain that the nearby waters were referred to as Ironbottom Sound. " Ironbottom Sound " is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound the stretch of water between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Many books were written about the Guadalcanal campaign.

The Battle of Cape Esperance was fought on October 11, 1942 off the northwest coast of Guadalcanal. The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and in Japanese sources as the, took place October 11 &ndash 12 1942 and was a Naval In the battle, United States Navy ships intercepted and defeated a Japanese formation of ships on their way down 'the Slot' to reinforce and resupply troops on the island, but suffered losses as well. The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November marked the turning point in which Allied Naval forces took on the extremely experienced Japanese surface forces at night and forced them to withdraw after sharp action. The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons or in Japanese sources as Some Japanese viewpoints consider these engagements, and the improving Allied surface capability to challenge their surface ships at night, to be just as significant as the Battle of Midway in turning the tide against them. The Battle of Midway was a major Naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. After six months of hard combat in and around Guadalcanal and dealing with jungle diseases that took a heavy toll of troops on both sides, Allied forces managed to halt the Japanese advance and dissuade them from contesting the control of the island by finally driving the last of the Japanese troops into the sea on January 15, 1943. American authorities declared Guadalcanal secure on February 9, 1943.

Two U. S. Navy ships have been named for the battle:

• USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), a World War II escort carrier. Atlantic service After shakedown training Guadalcanal performed pilot qualifications out of San Diego California, and then departed 15 November
• USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7), an amphibious assault ship.

Interestingly, the crews of both Guadalcanals had the rare experience of capturing another warship. See those ships' pages for more information.

To date, the only Coast Guardsman recipient of the Medal of Honor is Signalman 1st Class, Douglas Albert Munro, awarded posthumously for his extraordinary heroism on September 27, 1942 at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal. Douglas Albert Munro (October 11 1919 &ndash September 27 1942 is the only member of the United States Coast Guard to have received the Medal of Honor, the Munro provided a shield and covering fire, and helped evacuate 500 besieged Marines from a beach at Point Cruz; he was killed during the evacuation.

Significance in civil war

See also: History of the Solomon Islands#Civil war

In early 1999 long-simmering tensions between the local Gwale people on Guadalcanal and more recent migrants from the neighbouring island of Malaita erupted into violence. The human history of the Solomon Islands begins with the first settlement at least 30000 years ago from New Guinea. The ‘Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army’, later called Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM), began terrorising Malaitans in the rural areas of the island, to make them leave their homes. Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFB is a nationalist militant organisation of the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFB is a nationalist militant organisation of the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. About 20,000 Malaitans fled to the capital and others returned to their home island; Gwale residents of Honiara fled. Honiara, population 49107 (1999 54600 (2003 est is the Capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered The city became a Malaitan enclave and the Malaita Eagle Force took over government. Malaita Eagles Force is a Militant organization originating in the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands.

In 2003, the Pacific Forum negotiated the intervention of RAMSI or Operation Helpem Fren involving Australia and other Pacific Island Nations. The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental Organization which aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI also known as Operation Helpem Fren, was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI also known as Operation Helpem Fren, was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

References

• Frank, Richard B. Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, Penguin Books, 1990. Richard B Frank (born 1947 in Kansas) is an American lawyer and military historian
• Hakim, Joy (1995). A History of Us: War, Peace and all that Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509514-6.  

Notes

See also

• Battle of Guadalcanal
• Guadalcanal Province