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WELCOME to H44GC & H40GC DXpedition WEB SITE

DXpedition to SOLOMON Isl. & TEMOTU Province

by Stan, LZ1GC & Emil, DL8JJ

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Solomon Islands ( H44 ) is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu and covering a land area of   28 400 square kilometres. The country's Capital, Honiara is located on the Island of Guadalcanal. The country takes its name from Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands, but excludes outlying islands, such as Rennel and Bellona and the Santa Cruz Islands.

The islands have been inhabited for thousands of years. In 1568, the Spanish navorigator Alvaro de Mendana was the first European to visit them, naming them the Islas Solomon. Britain defined its area of interest in the Solomon Islands archipelago in June 1893, when the Captain Gibson R. N. of HMS Curacoa, declared the southern Solomon Islands as a British Protectorate with the proclamation of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate.

The official name of the then British overseas territoty was changed from   " the British Solomon Islands Protectorate " to " Solomon Islands " in 1975. Self - government was archieved in 1976. Independence was obtained two years later.

Temotu Province ( H40 ) is easternmost province of the Solomon Islands. The province was formerly know as Santa Cruz Islands Province. It consists, essentially of two chains of islands which run parallel to each other from the northwest to the southeast. Its area is 895 square kilometres with the population about 21 000. The islands or island groups which make up Temotu Province are: Anuta Isl., Duff Islands, Fatutaka Isl., Lomlom Isl., Malo Isl., Matema Isl., Reef Islands, Santa Cruz Islands (incl. Nendo Isl.), Tikopia Isl., Tinakula Isl., Utupua Isl., Vanicoro Islands group including Teanu & Banie Islands. The most of the inhabitants of Tikopia Isl., Anuta Isl., the Duff Islands and some of the Reef  Islands are Polynesians.

The provincial Capital is Lata, located on Nendo Isl., the largest and most important of the Santa Cruz Islands.