Luganville
| Luganville | |||
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| Coordinates | 15 ° 30 '42 " S , 167 ° 10' 36" O | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Vanuatu | ||
| Sanma | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | VU-SAM | ||
| surface | 24.9 km² | ||
| Residents | 16,312 (2016-11-16) | ||
| density | 655.1 Ew. / km² | ||
 Espiritu Santo
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Luganville is the second largest city in the South Pacific island state of Vanuatu and the capital of the Vanuatu province of Sanma .
General
In 1999, around 10,800 people lived in the port city on the southeast coast of the island of Espiritu Santo . By the census on November 16, 2016, the population had increased to 16,312. Luganville maintains one of Vanuatu's larger deep water ports ; it serves primarily as a transhipment point for some of the islands' few trade goods, copra and cocoa .
history
During the Pacific War during World War II , over 100,000 US soldiers were stationed in and around the small town. The American military maintained a military airfield here (primarily for B-17 bombers ) and a dry dock . At that time, Luganville was, along with Pearl Harbor , one of the most important American military bases in the South Pacific.
After the end of World War II, the US government failed to sell the remaining war equipment and materials to the colonial government of the New Hebrides condominium . To save costs for the return transport, trucks, ships, material and ammunition were sunk on a beach east of Luganville. Today, Million Dollar Point is considered one of the best diving spots in the South Pacific.
The USS President Coolidge , a 198 m long cruise ship that served as a troop transport during World War II , is only a few kilometers away at a depth of 21–73 m .
tourism
Cruise ships now and then call at Luganville . From there the diving areas in the area are approached.
Others
In Luganville , the American writer James A. Michener wrote a few short stories about life in the South Pacific during his military service in World War II, which he later incorporated into his first novel " Tales of the South Pacific ". On the basis of this book was created in 1950 the well-known Broadway - musical " South Pacific ".