- Western Province (Solomon Islands)
Infobox Solomon Islands Province
name = Western Province
capital =Gizo
area = 5,475
arearank = 1st
population = 62,739
population_as_of = 1999
populationrank = 2nd
density = 11.5
densityrank = 4th
isocode =
footnotes =
mapWestern Province is one of the provinces of the
Solomon Islands . It contains many smalllagoon s and most of the country's tourist trade (outside ofHoniara ).The provincial capital is
Gizo , a town of around 3000. Most of the troubles that affect the country have had minimal impact in the Western Province, which saw no majorviolence during therevolution .Tourism is discouraged throughout the
Solomon Islands , but the west is by far the most accommodating area, including multiplehotel s andresort s, dive shops,restaurant s, andboat tours.Munda, the largest town on New Georgia island, has a landing strip built during WWII 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.
The Western Province and nearby
Choiseul Province were significantly affected by the 8.1 magnitude April 2 2007 earthquake, the associated Tsunami and the 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 to 9 months. The island ofRanongga to the west ofGizo 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.Islands
*
Faisi
*Fauro
*Gizo
*Ghoi
*Kavachi
*Kennedy
*Kiambe
*Kingguru
*Kohinggo
*Kolombangara
*Liapari
*Logha
*Lola
*Marovo Island
*Marovo Lagoon
*Matikuri
*Mbava
*Mborokua
*Mbulo Island
*Mondomondo
*Mono Island
*Nakaza
*New Georgia
*Nggatokae
*Nusatupe
*Ranongga
*Rendova
*Shortland Island
*Simbo
*Stirling Island
*Telina
*Tetepare
*Vella Lavella
*Uepi
*Vangunu
*Vonavona References
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