Russell Islands
Encyclopedia
The Russell Islands are two small islands, as well as several islet
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....

s, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province
Central Province (Solomon Islands)
The Central Province is one of the provinces of the Solomon Islands, covering the Russell Islands, Nggela Islands and Savo Island. Its area comprises 615 km² and had a population of 21,577 as of 1999. The capital is Tulagi.-Islands:*Aeaun...

 of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

. They are located approximately 48 km (30 mi.) northwest from Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...

. The islands are partially covered in coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...

 plantations, and have a copra
Copra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...

 and oil factory at Yandina
Yandina, Solomon Islands
Yandina is a town on Mbanika Island in the Russell Islands, in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. It is a port, and an airport...

. Yandina also has basic services, including a store, post office, and airport. The Lavukal people live on these islands. Their language is Lavukaleve
Lavukaleve language
Lavukaleve is one of the four Central Solomons languages of the Solomon Islands. It is thus assumed to be the descendant of the languages spoken in the Solomon Islands before the spread of the much more numerous Austronesian languages. The name Lavukaleve derives from the ethnonym Lavukal...

. There is also a settlement of Polynesians, resettled from Tikopia
Tikopia
Tikopia is a small and high island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Covering an area of 5 km² , the island is the remnant of an extinct volcano. Its highest point, Mt. Reani, reaches an elevation of 380 m above sea level. Lake Te Roto covers an old volcanic crater which is 80 m...

, that lives in Nukufero on the west side of the largest island of Pavuvu
Pavuvu
Pavuvu is the largest of the Russell Islands in Central Province, Solomon Islands. It is located Northwest of Guadalcanal. The area is 120 km²....

. In Yandina, people from all over the Solomon Islands have come to work for the plantation. In addition to their native languages, they speak Solomon Island Pijin
Pijin language
Pijin is also referred to as Kanaka and is a language spoken in the Solomon Islands. It is closely related to Tok Pisin of Papua New Guinea; Bislama of Vanuatu; and Torres Strait Creole of the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia and is written in the Latin alphabet.As of 1999 there were 306,984...

, the Lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...

 of the Solomon Islands.

In 1943, as part of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 operations during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the islands were occupied by U.S. troops. Remnants of the U.S. presence, such as concrete slabs and large metal storage sheds, still exist.

The Yandina police station was the scene of one of the opening events of recent ethnic tensions, where a group of men raided the armoury and stole some high-powered weapons and ammunition. The group involved became known as the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army, and later as the Isatabu Freedom Movement.

Yandina is the site of a RAMSI
Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands , also known as Operation Helpem Fren, was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands...

post.

Havuna Primary School and Yandina Community High School are in the Russell Islands.

External links

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