Reef Islands (Solomon Islands)

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Reef Islands
NASA austronaut picture of the Reef Islands (Note: North is on the right in the picture.)
NASA austronaut picture of the Reef Islands
(Note: North is on the right in the picture.)
Waters South pacific
archipelago Santa Cruz Islands
Geographical location 10 ° 15 ′  S , 166 ° 10 ′  E Coordinates: 10 ° 15 ′  S , 166 ° 10 ′  E
Reef Islands (Solomon Islands) (Solomon Islands)
Reef Islands (Solomon Islands)
Number of islands 16
Main island Lomlom
Total land area 29 km²
Residents 5521 (2009)
Map of the Reef Islands
Map of the Reef Islands

The Reef Islands are a group of 16 islands in the north of the Santa Cruz Islands in the southeast of the island state of the Solomon Islands . The islands are also known by their historical name Swallow Islands or Matema Islands . In 2009, around 5521 people lived on the Reef Islands.

The islands are about 80 km north of Nendo , the largest of the Santa Cruz Islands .

Islands

The lagoon of Fenualoa
in the background the volcanic island of Tinakula north of Nendo

The main group with the islands belongs to the Reef Islands:

Numa Miombilou or the "Great Reef", a 10 km long shoal located 25 km west of Nifiloli and made up of the four smaller coral reefs:

is formed. Separated from these two groups are the so-called Outer Islands :

  • Nalongo and Nupani , 75 km northwest of the main islands
  • Nukapu , 35 km northwest of the main islands
  • Makalom , 17 km northwest of the main islands
  • Pileni , 9 km northwest of the main islands
  • Patteson Shoal , 100 km from the main islands

Most of the inhabitants of the groups speak the Polynesian dialect Aiwoo . In Pileni, Matema, Nupani, Nukapu, the residents speak the sub-dialect Pileni .

Web links