Guadalcanal(redirected from Guadal canal)
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Related to Guadal canal: Iwo Jima, Battle of Midway
Guadalcanal(gwädəlkənăl`), volcanic island (2009 pop. 93,613), c.2,510 sq mi (6,500 sq km), South Pacific, largest of the Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands,
independent Commonwealth nation (2009 pop. 515,870), c.15,500 sq mi (40,150 sq km), SW Pacific, E of New Guinea. The islands that constitute the nation of the Solomon Islands—Guadalcanal, Malaita, New Georgia, the Santa Cruz Islands, Choiseul, Ysabel
..... Click the link for more information. . HoniaraHoniara
, town (2009 pop. 64,609), capital of the Solomon Islands. Located on Guadalcanal in the SW Pacific, Honiara was rebuilt to replace the former capital of Tulaghi at the end of World War II and occupies the site of an important American campaign against the Japanese.
..... Click the link for more information. , capital of the Solomon Islands, is there. The island is largely jungle. Mt. Makarakombou rises to 8,028 ft (2,447 m). There are coconut and oil palm plantations and some gold mining. The inhabitants, mostly Melanesians, live along the coasts. Discovered by English navigators in 1788, Guadalcanal became a British protectorate in 1893. During World War II it was occupied by the Japanese. In Aug., 1942, U.S. forces began their first large-scale invasion of a Japanese-held island; after bitter fighting, it was conquered (Feb., 1943). In 1999, attacks by the Gwale majority caused many of the Malaitan minority to flee their homes; by 2000 the conflict had escalated into battling between ethnic militias in Honiara and the jungle. Points of interest include a museum of Melanesian artifacts and Henderson Field, the main objective of the American invasion.
Marines triumphed in first major U.S. offensive of WWII (1942–1943). [Am. Hist.: Van Doren, 490]
a mountainous island in the SW Pacific, the largest of the Solomon Islands: under British protection until 1978; occupied by the Japanese (1942--43). Pop.: 60 275 (1999). Area: 6475 sq. km (2500 sq. miles)