Guadalcanal Province
Province of the Solomon Islands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guadalcanal Province is one of the nine provinces of Solomon Islands, consisting primarily of the island of Guadalcanal. Its area is 5,336 km2 (2,060 sq mi) and is largely jungle. Its name was given by Pedro de Ortega Valencia, born in the village of Guadalcanal, Seville, Spain. The national capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, Honiara, is on the island. In July 1983, Honiara was designated a 22 km2 (8.5 sq mi) separately-administered Capital Territory and is no longer considered part of the province.
Guadalcanal Province
| |
|---|---|
|
Flag | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 9°45′S 160°0′E | |
| Country |  Solomon Islands |
| Capital | Honiara |
| Government | |
| • Premier | Hon. Willie Atu |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,336 km2 (2,060 sq mi) |
| Population (2019 census)[2] | |
• Total | 154,022 |
| • Density | 28.86/km2 (74.76/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+11 (+11) |
| ISO 3166 code | SB-GU |
The population of the province as of 2019[update] is 154,022.[2] The population of the island, including Honiara, is 283,591. Honiara serves as the provincial capital.[3][4] The climate is that of a tropical rainforest.[5]
World War II
The island became the scene of the important Guadalcanal Campaign during World War II. The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs established an explosive ordnance disposal training program. It safely disposed of hundreds of items of UXO, and it trained police personnel to respond to EOD call-outs in the island's highly populated areas.[6][7]
Administrative divisions
Guadalcanal Province is sub-divided into the following constituencies (or electoral districts), which are further sub-divided into wards (with populations at the 2009 and 2019 Censuses respectively):[8]
| Name | Population (2009 census) | Population (2019 census) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | ||
| 33. – North West Guadalcanal | 21,424 | 11,231 | 10,193 | 44,086 | 22,778 | 21,308 | |
| 33.01. | Tandai | 14,914 | 7,785 | 7,129 | 33,056 | 17,040 | 16,016 |
| 33.02. | Saghalu | 6,510 | 3,446 | 3,064 | 11,030 | 5,738 | 5,292 |
| 34. – West Guadalcanal | 9,569 | 5,007 | 4,562 | 12,199 | 6,370 | 5,829 | |
| 34.03. | Savulei | 3,003 | 1,582 | 1,421 | 4,331 | 2,287 | 2,044 |
| 34.04. | Tangarare | 3,118 | 1,633 | 1,485 | 3,852 | 2,002 | 1,850 |
| 34.05. | Wanderer Bay | 3,448 | 1,792 | 1,656 | 4,016 | 2,081 | 1,935 |
| 35. – South Guadalcanal | 6,739 | 3,324 | 3,415 | 10,462 | 5,213 | 5,249 | |
| 35.06. | Duidui | 3,201 | 1,631 | 1,570 | 5,300 | 2,691 | 2,609 |
| 35.07. | Vatukulau | 1,822 | 864 | 958 | 2,534 | 1,230 | 1,304 |
| 35.08. | Talise | 1,716 | 829 | 887 | 2,628 | 1,292 | 1,336 |
| 36. – East Guadalcanal | 10,231 | 5,002 | 5,229 | 13,065 | 6,421 | 6,644 | |
| 36.09. | Avuavu | 2,262 | 1,096 | 1,166 | 2,913 | 1,432 | 1,481 |
| 36.10. | Moli | 3,696 | 1,786 | 1,910 | 4,507 | 2,177 | 2,330 |
| 36.11. | Tetekanji | 1,114 | 531 | 583 | 1,602 | 757 | 845 |
| 36.12. | Birao | 3,159 | 1,589 | 1,570 | 4,043 | 2,055 | 1,988 |
| 37. – East/Central Guadalcanal | 10,706 | 5,472 | 5,234 | 15,691 | 8,052 | 7,639 | |
| 37.13. | Valasi | 1,477 | 746 | 731 | 2,070 | 1,048 | 1,022 |
| 37.14. | Kolokarako | 1,418 | 715 | 703 | 2,647 | 1,346 | 1,301 |
| 37.15. | Longgu | 3,767 | 1,946 | 1,821 | 4,597 | 2,389 | 2,208 |
| 37.16. | Aola | 4,044 | 2,065 | 1,979 | 6,377 | 3,269 | 3,108 |
| 38. – North East Guadalcanal | 10,506 | 5,472 | 5,034 | 13,930 | 7,167 | 6,763 | |
| 38.17. | Paripao | 3,068 | 1,555 | 1,513 | 3,842 | 1,969 | 1,873 |
| 38.18. | East Tasimboko | 7,438 | 3,917 | 3,521 | 10,088 | 5,198 | 4,890 |
| 39. – North Guadalcanal | 9,477 | 4,941 | 4,536 | 13,675 | 7,019 | 6,656 | |
| 39.21. | West Ghaobata | 4,962 | 2,573 | 2,389 | 7,453 | 3,805 | 3,648 |
| 39.22. | East Ghaobata | 4,515 | 2,368 | 2,147 | 6,222 | 3,214 | 3,008 |
| 40. – Central Guadalcanal | 14,961 | 7,834 | 7,127 | 30,914 | 15,952 | 14,962 | |
| 40.19. | Vulolo | 4,429 | 2,294 | 2,135 | 6,265 | 3,200 | 3,065 |
| 40.20. | Malango | 10,532 | 5,540 | 4,992 | 24,649 | 12,752 | 11,897 |
| Total | 93,613 | 48,283 | 45,330 | 154,022 | 78,972 | 75,050 | |
Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly
The Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly is one of the nine provincial assemblies in the Solomon Islands. Guadalcanal received its Devolution Order in 1984 from the Area Council. The Devolution Order gives the provinces some autonomy to administer certain services and also allows the province to create its own ordinances.
Office of the Provincial Assembly
The Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly Office is administered by the Honorable Speaker. The Honorable Speaker of the 9th Provincial Assembly (2019 - 2023) is Honorable Peter Aoraunisaka.[needs update] He was a longtime member of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).
The Provincial Assembly Office also has a Clerk of the Assembly. The Clerk of Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly (2019 - 2023) was Edward Juvia.[needs update]
Premiership
The first honorable premier of Guadalcanal Province is David Rosalio, from Savulei Ward. He was elected in 1984 under the Area Council and transitioned as the first Premier from 1985 to 1988.
The premier of Guadalcanal Province from 2019 until 2024 was Francis Sade, who entered office after the 2019 provincial election. Premier Sade is the first Premier of Guadalcanal to hold office for a full 4 year term since 1985. He entered office with a provincial debt of more than SI$30,000,000. He also faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite these hardships, Premier Sade managed to enact fiscal reforms for the Guadalcanal Provincial Government with debt-servicing and revenue collections. The current debt of the provincial government in the 2023–2024 fiscal year was believed to be less than SI$2,000,000. Premier Sade also reformed human resources and policies.[clarification needed]
The current Premier of Guadalcanal Province as of 2024[update] is Willie Atu.[1]