Everything about Honiara totally explained
Honiara, population 49,107 (1999), 54,600 (2003 est.), is the
capital of the
Solomon Islands and of
Guadalcanal Province, although it's a separately administered
town. The name "Honiara" is actually a misnomer: the English colonialists found it hard to pronounce the original name of the area in the northern Guadalcanal languages:
Naghoniara. Naghoniara means "in front of the wind."
Geography and Climate
Honiara is located on the northern coast of the island of
Guadalcanal and includes a sea port at Point Cruz. The town revolves around the Kukum Highway, which connects Henderson Field in the east of Honiara with the settlement of White River in the west, and passes the National Referral Hospital and the recently burnt down Chinatown. Honiara is located at 9°28' South, 159°49' East (-9.46667, 159.81667).
The climate is tropical, the average daytime temperatures is about 28 degrees
Celsius, the water temperatures between 26 to 29 degrees. Damper periods are predominantly between November and April. The average amount of precipitation per year is about 2,000 mm and thus somewhat lower than the average on the entire Solomon Islands (3,000 mm).
Economy and Industry
Honiara is served by the
Honiara International Airport, located about 10 kilometers outside the city. The industry is in form of several beverage factories and a cookie factory. Major exports are
Timber, coconuts,
copra and fish. The most important trade partners are
Malaysia,
Japan,
South Korea and
Taiwan.
Tourism
Honiara is the Solomon Islands' springboard for tourism activities. The country's tourist office, the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau
(External Link
), is located on Honiara's main thoroughfare, Mendana Avenue. Situated between the shady Yacht Club and the popular Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel, its officers provide tourist information and can radio ahead to announce visitors' arrivals to guest houses in the remoter areas. Honiara has a harbour from which ferries depart to the various provinces. The gardens of the National Art Gallery are popular for afternoon strolls, while the reconstructed Government House and the National
Museum exist. A botanical garden admits lots of orchids and shrubs. The spectacular Tenaru falls can be found a one hour's drive and a three-hour hike from Henderson International Airport.
Religion
Honiara is predominantly Christian and is served by the headquarters of the
Church of the Province of Melanesia (
Anglican), the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Honiara, the
South Seas Evangelical Church, the
United Church, the
Seventh-day Adventist Church and other Christian churches. There are many congregations of American and Australian style
charismatic and/or
evangelical movements. There are also members of the
Bahá'í Faith,
Jehovah's Witness,
Mormon and
Muslim religions.
History
What is now Honiara was close to the site of
Guadalcanal Campaign in
World War II. It was built to replace the former capital of
Tulagi at the end of that war. Honiara officially became the capital of the Solomon Islands in
1952. After violent rebellions in the year
2000 the protection of the population was promised by Australian units, since the Solomon Islands have no military. In
2006,
riots broke out following the election of
Snyder Rini as Prime Minister, destroying part of Chinatown and displacing more than 1000 Chinese residents. 3
National Parliament members,
Charles Dausabea,
Nelson Ne'e, and
Patrick Vahoe, were arrested during or as a result of the riots.
Gallery
Image:Guadalcanal American Memorial.jpg
Image:Yot club small.jpg
Further Information
Get more info on 'Honiara'.
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