Luganville Santo | |
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.jpg) Luganville main street Boulevard Higinson | |
 Flag | |
  Luganville Location in Vanuatu | |
| Coordinates:15°32′S167°10′E / 15.533°S 167.167°E /-15.533; 167.167 | |
| Country |  Vanuatu |
| Province | Sanma Province |
| Island | Espiritu Santo |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Alan Awa (2021—present)[1][2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.32 km2 (3.21 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2020 census)[3] | |
• Total | 18,062 |
| • Density | 2,170/km2 (5,620/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+11 (VUT) |
Luganville is the second largest city inVanuatu after the capitalPort Vila; it is located on the island ofEspiritu Santo and has a population of 18,062 as of the 2020 census.[3] Those on Vanuatu's northern islands who regard Luganville as their big city, particularly indigenous populations, call itSanto; rural residents of Espiritu Santo call itKanal (from the former French name "Canal du Segond").[4] Luganville served as a major base of operations forAmerican troops duringWorld War II.[5]
Boulevard Higinson, the main street that runs through Luganville, contains mainly tourist boutiques and general stores.[6] During WWII, the Americans used the Espiritu Santo asa military base; as a result of the occupation, Boulevard Higinson is unusually wide, as a base commander insisted that four tanks should be able to drive along the road simultaneously.[7] At one end of Higinson is the port, one of two main ports for the island.[5]
DuringWorld War II, theAmerican military erected two bases on two islands of what is now Vanuatu (a British-French colony known then asNew Hebrides), one of which being Espiritu Santo.[8] A village of small, spaced-out communities was established into one city: Luganville.[9] Base Button is the largest U.S. base in theSouth Pacific, covering 38 miles, and was used mainly for maintenance and supply storage.[8][10][5] Luganville was a major part of preparing American units for theGuadalcanal campaign.[11] Four airfields were built;Palikulo Bay Airfield,Turtle Bay Airfield, andLuganville Airfield no longer exist, but the Bomber 3 was turned intoSanto-Pekoa International Airport.[5][10][11] Other facilities built were five military hospitals,Luganville Seaplane Base, Pontoon Wharf, a floating drydock, and thousands ofQuonset huts.[5][11]
Luganville is home to theSouth Pacific WWII Museum dedicated to preserving the history of World War II across the South Pacific region initiated in 2012 by the mayor Peter Sakita.[12]
By the second half of the 20th century, Luganville was largelyFrench-speaking and initially resisted the attempts to gain independence leading up to its declaration on July 30, 1980.[13] French troops initially attempted to quash the flag-raising in Luganville, but returned to France in August instead.[14] Some unrest arose between political parties vying for power, but has since been largely peaceful.[15][16][17]
As of the 2016 census, 98.7% of Luganville was ofMelanesian and/orNi-Vanuatu descent.[18] Those of non-Melanesian descent are a minority and are European, other Pacific Islander, and Asian peoples.[19]
Part of the city is formed bysquattedinformal settlements such as La Milice, Mango, Pepsi, Rowok, Sarakata and St Michel. Mango was first settled by Vietnamese migrants who constructed shelters out of scrap metal left behind by theUnited States Army. The Vietnamese were repatriated in the 1960s and it was then occupied byNi-Vanuatu migrants.[20]
Luganville's economy suffered after Vanuatu declared independence in 1980.[13] It has a strong tourist industry, namely in the areas of World War II artifacts and scuba diving (SS President Coolidge is a popular site as are the coral reefs), and is a destination for many cruise lines.[17] Its other main industries are agriculture, cattle, and offshore financial services.[21] The market along Boulevard Higinson is popular for its inexpensive food.[22]
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Northern Provincial Hospital is one of two main referring hospitals on Espiritu Santo and serves people from other northern islands in Vanuatu as well as its own residents.[23] Luganville is home to Vanuatu Health Training Institute, one of the two medical training schools on the island, but there are not enough graduates to prevent a shortage of medical professionals.[24] Though medical expenses make up 50% of the government's budget, the hospital still relies heavily on donations.[24][25]
There are six main banking organizations in Luganville:Reserve Bank of Vanuatu, Wanfuteng Bank, theNational Bank of Vanuatu,Bank South Pacific, BRED Bank, andANZ Bank.[26][27][28][29][30]
Broadband internet was not available in Luganville until late 2006.[22]
Luganville is one of Vanuatu's busiest ports, especially as atransshipment point forcopra, coconut oil, andcacao.[31][22]Canal du Segond, the body of water separating the main island and Luganville fromAore Island, provides the town with an excellent sheltered harbour.[31] The town is served bySanto-Pekoa International Airport, the second largest airport in Vanuatu.[32] The city is also serviced by a number of taxis, buses, and public transport trucks.[22]
Luganville features atropical rainforest climate (Af) under theKöppen climate classification. The town features relatively constant temperatures year-round, with average temperature hovering around 25 °C or 77 °F. Average precipitation is roughly 2,920 millimetres or 110 inches annually.[33]
| Climate data for Luganville (1974–2001) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.5 (85.1) | 28.5 (83.3) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 29.4 (84.9) | 30.0 (86.0) | 28.9 (84.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.3 (72.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.3 (70.3) | 20.9 (69.6) | 21.0 (69.8) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.1 (71.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 287.7 (11.33) | 302.1 (11.89) | 260.5 (10.26) | 259.7 (10.22) | 169.7 (6.68) | 165.4 (6.51) | 92.3 (3.63) | 87.1 (3.43) | 99.6 (3.92) | 148.6 (5.85) | 180.2 (7.09) | 202.6 (7.98) | 2,255.5 (88.79) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 16 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 180 |
| Source:World Meteorological Organization[34] | |||||||||||||
Luganville istwinned with:
-Kota Kinabalu,Sabah,Malaysia[35]
-Mont-Dore,New Caledonia[36]
-Honiara,Solomon Islands[37] -Port Vila,Vanuatu[38]
-Honolulu,Hawaii,United States[39]
-Wanshan Archipelago,Guangdong,China[40]
-Bundaberg,Australia[41]
Luganville travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
