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Honiara

Capital of Solomon IslandsHoniara stretches along the north-west coast of Guadalcanal, one of the main islands of Solomon Islands. The Matanikau River flows through the town, and its seaport is at Point Cruz.

Why it's the capital

The capital of the British protectorate was on Tulagi, a small island to the north, from 1896 to 1942. After the Second World War it moved to Honiara, where US forces had built up a lot of infrastructure; this became official in 1952, and Honiara stayed the capital at independence in 1978.

Fun facts

  1. The name comes from 'nagho ni ara', which roughly means 'place of the east wind' or 'facing the south-east wind' in one of the Guadalcanal languages.
  2. In 1942 the Battle of Henderson Field was fought in what is now the airport area, about 11 km east of the city centre.
  3. The Parliament Building, on a hill above Hibiscus Avenue, is a cone-shaped concrete building built with American aid and opened in 1993.

Finding it on the globe

Honiara and Port Moresby lie on almost the same latitude, about 9.5° south. Go straight east from Port Moresby, across the sea, to the north coast of Guadalcanal.

Sources: Wikipedia: Honiara, Wikipedia: Tulagi