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Coordinates: 8°19′41″S 157°16′15″E / 8.32806°S 157.27083°E / -8.32806; 157.27083
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{{For|other uses of the term|Munda (disambiguation)}}
{{currentevent}}
{{infobox settlement
|name = Munda, Solomon Islands
|settlement_type = Settlement
|image_skyline = File:Munda Point Airfield.jpg
|image_caption=Munda Point Airfield in New Georgia seen from West - Central Solomons - 1943
|pushpin_map = Solomon Islands
|pushpin_map_alt = Munda in Solomon Islands
|pushpin_map_caption = Munda, Solomon Islands
|coordinates = {{Coord|-8.327|157.26818}}
|pushpin_label =
|pushpin_label_position = none
}}
'''Munda''' is the largest settlement on the island of [[New Georgia]] in the [[Western Province, Solomon Islands|Western Province]] of [[Solomon Islands]], and consists of a number of villages. It is located at the southwestern tip (called '''Munda Point''') of the western end of New Georgia, and the large [[Roviana Lagoon]] is just offshore.


Munda Point was originally the site of a [[coconut]] plantation established by Englishman Norman Wheatley, and then owned by Australian Lesley Gill.
:''For other uses of the term see [[Munda]]''


==History==
'''Munda''' is the largest settlement on the island of [[New Georgia]] in the [[Western Province, Solomon Islands|Western Province]] of the [[Solomon Islands]], and actually consists of a number of individual villages. It is located at the southwestern tip (called '''Munda Point''') of the western end of New Georgia, and the large [[Roviana Lagoon]] is just offshore.
The Colonial Office had appointed [[Charles Morris Woodford]] as the Resident Commissioner in the [[Solomon Islands]] on 17 February 1897. He was directed to control the [[Blackbirding|labour trade]] operating in the Solomon Island waters and to stop the illegal trade in firearms.<ref name="AC1">{{cite book|first1=Austin|last1=Coates|author-link=Austin Coates|title=Western Pacific Islands|place=London|publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office|isbn=978-0118804288|year=1970|page=228}}</ref> [[Arthur William Mahaffy|Arthur Mahaffy]] was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner to Woodford in January 1898.<ref name="BRL7a">{{cite book |last1= Lawrence |first1= David Russell |title= The Naturalist and his "Beautiful Islands": Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific|date= October 2014|publisher=ANU Press |doi=10.22459/NBI.10.2014|isbn=9781925022032|pages=198–206 |chapter= Chapter 7 Expansion of the Protectorate 1898–1900 |chapter-url= http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p298111/pdf/ch073.pdf |doi-access= free }}</ref> In January 1900, Mahaffy established a government station at [[Gizo, Solomon Islands|Gizo]], as Woodford considered Mahaffy’s military training as making him suitable for the role of suppressing [[headhunting]] in [[New Georgia]] and neighbouring islands.<ref name="BRL7a"/><ref name="AC2">{{cite book|first1=Austin|last1=Coates|author-link=Austin Coates|title=Western Pacific Islands|place=London|publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office|isbn=978-0118804288|year=1970|page=229}}</ref> Mahaffy had a force of twenty-five police armed with rifles.<ref name="AWM">{{cite web| last = | first = |title= Mahaffy, Arthur (1869 - 1919)|publisher= Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978|page=|year =2003 |url= https://aim25.com/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=17794&inst_id=126&nv1=search&nv2=| accessdate=24 March 2024}}</ref> The first target of this force was chief Ingava of the Roviana Lagoon who had been raiding [[Choiseul Province|Choiseul]] and [[Isabel]] and killing or enslaves hundreds of people.<ref name="AWM"/>


Mahaffy and the police officers under his command carried out a violent and ruthless suppression of headhunting, with his actions having the support of Woodford and the [[Western Pacific High Commission]], who wanted to eradicate headhunting and complete a “pacification” of the western Solomon Islands.<ref name="BRL7a"/> Mahaffy seized and destroyed large war canoes (''tomokos''). One of which was used to transport the police officers.<ref name="AWM"/>
===History===
Munda Point was originally the site of a [[coconut]] plantation established by Australian [[Norman Wheately]]. During [[World War II]] the [[Japan]]ese built an [[airstrip]] to serve as a staging point to [[Guadalcanal]]. A convoy put in to Munda Point on [[24 November]] [[1942]], and started construction under careful concealment from the air by means of rows of coconut palms suspended by cable. The airstrip was discovered by American planes on [[3 December]], and the first [[airstrike]]s were delivered by [[B-17 Flying Fortress]] bombers on [[9 December]]. However, the Japanese were able to use Munda despite regular bombardment from both air and sea, and the Americans' [[New Georgia Campaign]] spent July of [[1943]] closing in on Munda overland, capturing it on [[6 August]]. The airstrip remains today and daily flights land from [[Honiara]] and [[Gizo]].


The [[Methodism|Methodist]] Mission in the [[Western Province (Solomon Islands)|Western Province]] was established by Rev. John Frances Goldie in 1902. He dominated the mission and gained the loyalty of Solomon Islander members of his church.<ref name="DMcD">{{cite web|last=Dr. Debra McDougall|title=Religious institutions as Alternative Structures in post-conflict Solomon Islands: Cases from Western Province|year=2008|url=http://westernsolomons.uib.no/people/mcdougall.php|publisher=For State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Discussion Paper Series, 08/05, Australian National University|access-date=4 Oct 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918214717/http://westernsolomons.uib.no/people/mcdougall.php|archive-date=18 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The relationship with the colonial administrators of the British Solomon Island Protectorate were also fraught with difficulty, at this time due to Goldie's effective control over the Western Solomon Islands.<ref name="DMcD"/> From 1927 to 1934 [[Edward Sayers (doctor)|Dr Edward Sayers]] worked at the [[Methodism|Methodist]] mission where he established a hospital at Munda and also at [[Gizo, Solomon Islands|Gizo]] and [[Vella Lavella]], and carried out fieldwork in the treatment of [[malaria]].<ref>Sayers, E. G. (1943) ''Malaria in the South Pacific with Special Reference to the Solomon Islands''. New Zealand Government Printing Office</ref>
===Geography===
Lambete, the largest village in Munda, today consists of a number of shops, a National Solomons Bank, a post office, a telecommunications centre, the airstrip and a small port. On the seafront is [http://www.visitsolomons.com.sb/solomons/export/sites/SVB/operators/agnes_lodge.html Agnes Lodge], a small hotel and currently the only tourist accommodation in Munda. The hotel compound also contains the local bar (Munda Bar), the dive shop - [http://www.mundadive.com/ Dive Munda], and the local boat-tour company (Go West Tours).


In November 1942, during [[World War II]], the town became strategically important after [[Japan]]ese forces built an [[airstrip]] (on the site of today's [[Munda Airport]]) to support Japanese forces fighting the [[Battle of Guadalcanal]]. A Japanese convoy put into Munda Point on 24 November 1942, and started construction under careful concealment from the air by means of rows of [[coconut palm]]s suspended by cable. The airstrip was discovered by American planes on 3 December, and the first [[airstrike]]s were delivered by [[B-17 Flying Fortress]] bombers on 9 December. However, the Japanese were able to use Munda despite regular bombardment from both air and sea, and the Allies launched [[Operation Cartwheel]] in order to drive the Japanese out of the Solomons and ultimately eliminate the large Japanese base at [[Rabaul]]. The [[New Georgia Campaign]] was launched in late June, 1943 when mainly American but also Pacific Islander troops conducted the [[Landings on Rendova]] and several other amphibious operations throughout the New Georgia Group.
Medical care in Munda is provided by the Helena Goldie Hospital, a small hospital west of Lambete that was originally set up by the Rev J.F. Goldie (Methodist missionary) and named after his wife. The hospital is a popular place for Australian and British medical students to complete their [[elective]] programs.
The Allied forces spent July 1943 conducting the [[Drive on Munda Point]], shelling and bombing Japanese forces in and around Munda Airfield, fighting off a [[New Georgia counterattack|large Japanese counterattack]], and eventually closing in on Munda overland, capturing it on 4–5 August during the [[Battle of Munda Point]]. The heavy fighting left thousands dead on both sides and many more wounded.


==Transport==
Munda is a 1-2 hour boat journey or 15 minute flight to Gizo and a 1 hour flight to Honiara by Solomon Airlines light aircraft.
Boats are the main method of coastal and inter-island transport.
The airstrip from World War II was later converted into [[Munda Airport]] and is used commercially for daily flights land from [[Honiara]], [[Setghe, Solomon Islands|Setghe]] and [[Gizo, Solomon Islands|Gizo]], including services on [[Solomon Airlines]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flysolomons.com/plan/route-maps/domestic-routes|title = Domestic Routes Map &#124; Solomon Islands Flights &#124; Solomon Airlines}}</ref>


==Geography==
===Tsunami, 1st April 2007===
Lambete, the largest village in Munda, today consists of a number of shops, a branch of the Bank of South Pacific (BSP), a post office, a telecommunications centre, a bakery, accommodations, the airstrip and a small port.
On Sunday, 1st April 2007 at 20:39:56 (UTC), a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck about 45 km (25 mi) south-southeast of Gizo, triggering a large tsunami which affected much of the Western Province. Reports are that there is extensive damage in Munda, although no specific details are yet known [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21492663-2,00.html].

===Climate===
{{Weather box
| width = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location = Munda, Solomon Islands (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1962–1986, 1991–2020)
| Jan record high C = 34.4
| Feb record high C = 36.4
| Mar record high C = 35.0
| Apr record high C = 33.9
| May record high C = 33.2
| Jun record high C = 34.4
| Jul record high C = 33.3
| Aug record high C = 33.0
| Sep record high C = 32.8
| Oct record high C = 33.8
| Nov record high C = 33.6
| Dec record high C = 34.2
| year record high C =
| Jan high C = 31.4
| Feb high C = 31.1
| Mar high C = 31.1
| Apr high C = 31.1
| May high C = 30.7
| Jun high C = 30.2
| Jul high C = 29.7
| Aug high C = 29.8
| Sep high C = 30.3
| Oct high C = 30.8
| Nov high C = 31.4
| Dec high C = 31.7
| year high C = 30.8
| Jan mean C = 27.8
| Feb mean C = 27.6
| Mar mean C = 27.6
| Apr mean C = 27.6
| May mean C = 27.4
| Jun mean C = 27.1
| Jul mean C = 26.8
| Aug mean C = 26.8
| Sep mean C = 27.1
| Oct mean C = 27.4
| Nov mean C = 27.7
| Dec mean C = 28.0
| year mean C = 27.4
| Jan low C = 24.4
| Feb low C = 24.3
| Mar low C = 24.2
| Apr low C = 24.2
| May low C = 24.2
| Jun low C = 24.1
| Jul low C = 24.0
| Aug low C = 23.9
| Sep low C = 24.0
| Oct low C = 24.1
| Nov low C = 24.2
| Dec low C = 24.4
| year low C = 24.2
| Jan record low C = 20.3
| Feb record low C = 20.3
| Mar record low C = 21.1
| Apr record low C = 21.1
| May record low C = 20.6
| Jun record low C = 19.7
| Jul record low C = 20.0
| Aug record low C = 15.6
| Sep record low C = 19.4
| Oct record low C = 18.3
| Nov record low C = 19.8
| Dec record low C = 21.1
| year record low C =
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 410
| Feb precipitation mm = 431
| Mar precipitation mm = 352
| Apr precipitation mm = 292
| May precipitation mm = 276
| Jun precipitation mm = 291
| Jul precipitation mm = 357
| Aug precipitation mm = 272
| Sep precipitation mm = 244
| Oct precipitation mm = 270
| Nov precipitation mm = 227
| Dec precipitation mm = 266
| year precipitation mm = 3741
| unit precipitation days = 1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 18
| Feb precipitation days = 18
| Mar precipitation days = 19
| Apr precipitation days = 18
| May precipitation days = 18
| Jun precipitation days = 18
| Jul precipitation days = 20
| Aug precipitation days = 18
| Sep precipitation days = 17
| Oct precipitation days = 16
| Nov precipitation days = 15
| Dec precipitation days = 16
| year precipitation days = 210
| source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/5.5/data/0-data/Region-5-WMO-Normals-9120/SolomonIslands/CSV/Munda_91503.csv
|title = Munda Climate Normals for 1991-2020
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|format = CSV
|access-date = 8 September 2024}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (humidity 1962–1986)<ref name = DWD>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_915030_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von Munda / Insel New Georgia / Salomonen
| work = Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| language = de
| access-date = 23 July 2017}}</ref>
}}


== See also ==
== See also ==

* [[Kasi Maru]]
* [[Kasi Maru]]


==References==
{{Solomons-geo-stub}}
{{Reflist}}

{{coor title dm|8|19|S|157|15|E|region:SB_type:city}}
{{coord|8|19|41|S|157|16|15|E|type:city_region:SB|display=title}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities, towns and villages in the Solomon Islands]]


[[Category:Populated places in the Solomon Islands]]
[[nl:Munda (Salomonseilanden)]]
[[Category:Western Province (Solomon Islands)]]
[[fi:Munda]]

Latest revision as of 05:36, 9 September 2024

For other uses of the term, see Munda (disambiguation).
Munda, Solomon Islands
Settlement
Munda Point Airfield in New Georgia seen from West - Central Solomons - 1943
Munda Point Airfield in New Georgia seen from West - Central Solomons - 1943
Munda in Solomon Islands
Munda in Solomon Islands
Munda, Solomon Islands
Coordinates: 8°19′37″S 157°16′05″E / 8.327°S 157.26818°E / -8.327; 157.26818

Munda is the largest settlement on the island of New Georgia in the Western Province of Solomon Islands, and consists of a number of villages. It is located at the southwestern tip (called Munda Point) of the western end of New Georgia, and the large Roviana Lagoon is just offshore.

Munda Point was originally the site of a coconut plantation established by Englishman Norman Wheatley, and then owned by Australian Lesley Gill.

History

[edit]

The Colonial Office had appointed Charles Morris Woodford as the Resident Commissioner in the Solomon Islands on 17 February 1897. He was directed to control the labour trade operating in the Solomon Island waters and to stop the illegal trade in firearms.[1] Arthur Mahaffy was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner to Woodford in January 1898.[2] In January 1900, Mahaffy established a government station at Gizo, as Woodford considered Mahaffy’s military training as making him suitable for the role of suppressing headhunting in New Georgia and neighbouring islands.[2][3] Mahaffy had a force of twenty-five police armed with rifles.[4] The first target of this force was chief Ingava of the Roviana Lagoon who had been raiding Choiseul and Isabel and killing or enslaves hundreds of people.[4]

Mahaffy and the police officers under his command carried out a violent and ruthless suppression of headhunting, with his actions having the support of Woodford and the Western Pacific High Commission, who wanted to eradicate headhunting and complete a “pacification” of the western Solomon Islands.[2] Mahaffy seized and destroyed large war canoes (tomokos). One of which was used to transport the police officers.[4]

The Methodist Mission in the Western Province was established by Rev. John Frances Goldie in 1902. He dominated the mission and gained the loyalty of Solomon Islander members of his church.[5] The relationship with the colonial administrators of the British Solomon Island Protectorate were also fraught with difficulty, at this time due to Goldie's effective control over the Western Solomon Islands.[5] From 1927 to 1934 Dr Edward Sayers worked at the Methodist mission where he established a hospital at Munda and also at Gizo and Vella Lavella, and carried out fieldwork in the treatment of malaria.[6]

In November 1942, during World War II, the town became strategically important after Japanese forces built an airstrip (on the site of today's Munda Airport) to support Japanese forces fighting the Battle of Guadalcanal. A Japanese convoy put into Munda Point on 24 November 1942, and started construction under careful concealment from the air by means of rows of coconut palms suspended by cable. The airstrip was discovered by American planes on 3 December, and the first airstrikes were delivered by B-17 Flying Fortress bombers on 9 December. However, the Japanese were able to use Munda despite regular bombardment from both air and sea, and the Allies launched Operation Cartwheel in order to drive the Japanese out of the Solomons and ultimately eliminate the large Japanese base at Rabaul. The New Georgia Campaign was launched in late June, 1943 when mainly American but also Pacific Islander troops conducted the Landings on Rendova and several other amphibious operations throughout the New Georgia Group. The Allied forces spent July 1943 conducting the Drive on Munda Point, shelling and bombing Japanese forces in and around Munda Airfield, fighting off a large Japanese counterattack, and eventually closing in on Munda overland, capturing it on 4–5 August during the Battle of Munda Point. The heavy fighting left thousands dead on both sides and many more wounded.

Transport

[edit]

Boats are the main method of coastal and inter-island transport.

The airstrip from World War II was later converted into Munda Airport and is used commercially for daily flights land from Honiara, Setghe and Gizo, including services on Solomon Airlines.[7]

Geography

[edit]

Lambete, the largest village in Munda, today consists of a number of shops, a branch of the Bank of South Pacific (BSP), a post office, a telecommunications centre, a bakery, accommodations, the airstrip and a small port.

Climate

[edit]
Climate data for Munda, Solomon Islands (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1962–1986, 1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.4
(93.9) 		36.4
(97.5) 		35.0
(95.0) 		33.9
(93.0) 		33.2
(91.8) 		34.4
(93.9) 		33.3
(91.9) 		33.0
(91.4) 		32.8
(91.0) 		33.8
(92.8) 		33.6
(92.5) 		34.2
(93.6) 		36.4
(97.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.4
(88.5) 		31.1
(88.0) 		31.1
(88.0) 		31.1
(88.0) 		30.7
(87.3) 		30.2
(86.4) 		29.7
(85.5) 		29.8
(85.6) 		30.3
(86.5) 		30.8
(87.4) 		31.4
(88.5) 		31.7
(89.1) 		30.8
(87.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.8
(82.0) 		27.6
(81.7) 		27.6
(81.7) 		27.6
(81.7) 		27.4
(81.3) 		27.1
(80.8) 		26.8
(80.2) 		26.8
(80.2) 		27.1
(80.8) 		27.4
(81.3) 		27.7
(81.9) 		28.0
(82.4) 		27.4
(81.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24.4
(75.9) 		24.3
(75.7) 		24.2
(75.6) 		24.2
(75.6) 		24.2
(75.6) 		24.1
(75.4) 		24.0
(75.2) 		23.9
(75.0) 		24.0
(75.2) 		24.1
(75.4) 		24.2
(75.6) 		24.4
(75.9) 		24.2
(75.6)
Record low °C (°F) 20.3
(68.5) 		20.3
(68.5) 		21.1
(70.0) 		21.1
(70.0) 		20.6
(69.1) 		19.7
(67.5) 		20.0
(68.0) 		15.6
(60.1) 		19.4
(66.9) 		18.3
(64.9) 		19.8
(67.6) 		21.1
(70.0) 		15.6
(60.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 410
(16.1) 		431
(17.0) 		352
(13.9) 		292
(11.5) 		276
(10.9) 		291
(11.5) 		357
(14.1) 		272
(10.7) 		244
(9.6) 		270
(10.6) 		227
(8.9) 		266
(10.5) 		3,741
(147.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 18 18 19 18 18 18 20 18 17 16 15 16 210
Source 1: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[8]
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1962–1986)[9]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Coates, Austin (1970). Western Pacific Islands. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. p. 228. ISBN 978-0118804288.
  2. ^ a b c Lawrence, David Russell (October 2014). "Chapter 7 Expansion of the Protectorate 1898–1900" (PDF). The Naturalist and his "Beautiful Islands": Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific. ANU Press. pp. 198–206. doi:10.22459/NBI.10.2014. ISBN 9781925022032.
  3. ^ Coates, Austin (1970). Western Pacific Islands. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. p. 229. ISBN 978-0118804288.
  4. ^ a b c "Mahaffy, Arthur (1869 - 1919)". Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978. 2003. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Dr. Debra McDougall (2008). "Religious institutions as Alternative Structures in post-conflict Solomon Islands: Cases from Western Province". For State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Discussion Paper Series, 08/05, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 4 Oct 2011.
  6. ^ Sayers, E. G. (1943) Malaria in the South Pacific with Special Reference to the Solomon Islands. New Zealand Government Printing Office
  7. ^ "Domestic Routes Map | Solomon Islands Flights | Solomon Airlines".
  8. ^ "Munda Climate Normals for 1991-2020" (CSV). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Klimatafel von Munda / Insel New Georgia / Salomonen" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 23 July 2017.

8°19′41″S 157°16′15″E / 8.32806°S 157.27083°E / -8.32806; 157.27083

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