Honiara – capital of Solomon Islands since 1952
Honiara officially became the capital of the British Protectorate of Solomon Islands in 1952, with government buildings opening that January. The decision followed the Second World War: infrastructure built here by United States forces led the administration to move the capital to this stretch of the Guadalcanal coast. The Battle of Henderson Field in 1942, the last major Japanese land offensive of the Guadalcanal campaign, was fought in what is now the airport area, some eleven kilometres east of the city centre. The name comes from nagho ni ara, roughly 'place facing the southeast wind'. Today about 130,000 people live here. Share your memories and family stories with the community.