Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal, island of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the largest island of the independent state of Solomon Islands. It has an area of 6,500 sq km (2,500 sq mi). The volcanic Kavo Mountains, which reach a maximum height of 2,400 m (8,000 ft) above sea level, extend the length of the island, which is largely forested. The chief town is Honiara, capital of Solomon Islands.

Guadalcanal was visited by Spanish navigators in the 16th century. It was annexed by the British in 1893. The island was the site of heavy fighting between United States and Japanese forces during World War II (1939-1945). The Japanese occupied the Solomons in January 1942. On August 7, U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal in the first of the amphibious assaults against Japanese-held positions in the Pacific. The marines obtained and held Henderson Field on the island in the face of bitter ground, sea, and air attacks by the Japanese. Fighting continued in the jungles of Guadalcanal until February 9, 1943, when the U.S. Army and Marine Forces secured the island against Japanese resistance. Continual naval engagements between the Japanese and Americans were fought off Guadalcanal. Population (1991) 60,700.