Native name: Nggela Sule and Nggela Pile | |
|---|---|
 The Nggela Islands from the air | |
 Map of the Nggela islands group | |
  Nggela Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | South Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 9°00′S160°10′E / 9.000°S 160.167°E /-9.000; 160.167 |
| Archipelago | Solomon Islands (archipelago) |
| Total islands | 4 |
| Major islands | 2 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Central Province |
TheNggela Islands orNgella Islands,[1] previously known as theFlorida Islands, are a small island group in theCentral Province ofSolomon Islands,[2] asovereign state, since 1978, in the southwestPacific Ocean. The name Florida Islands fell into disuse following Solomon Islands' independence in 1978.[2][3]
The group is composed of four larger islands and about 50 smaller ones, many with white coral beaches. The four main islands are, Nggela Sule with Nggela Pile to its southeast, separated by the narrow Mboli Passage, Olevugha (also known as Mobokonimbeti, and previously Sandfly Is.) and Vatilau (also known as Buenavista) to the northwest. Smaller islands include: Anuha, (70 ha (170 acres)), south of Nggela Sule,Tulagi just off the southwest coast of Nggela Sule, now the capital of Central Province and previously the British administrative centre for the Solomons,Gavutu andTanambogo.[2][4][5][6]
The first recorded sighting by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition ofÁlvaro de Mendaña on 16 April 1568. More precisely the sighting was due to a local voyage done by a small boat, in the accounts thebrigantineSantiago, commanded byMaestre de campoPedro Ortega Valencia and havingHernán Gallego as pilot. They were who charted it as "Pascua Florida" (fromthe festival of that name) from where its present-day name "Florida" derives.[7][8]Tulagi in Nggela Sule was the seat of the administration of theBritish Solomon Islands prior to the 1942 Japanese invasion in World War II.
The Nggela Islands group lies immediately north of the more famous island ofGuadalcanal, the scene of theGuadalcanal Campaign duringWorld War II; however, Nggela Sule itself was garrisoned by theJapanese in April 1942 in connection with their efforts to establish aseaplane base on neighbouring Gavutu. On 7 August of the same year, theUnited States1st Battalion,2nd Marine Regiment landed on the island to provide cover for theassault on the neighbouring Tulagi islet. Florida Island served as a small, secondary base of operations for the US andAustralian and New Zealand war effort in the Pacific for the duration of the war. Following the Allied liberation of the island from the Japanese, it became the site of a US seaplane base. About 80 Japanese troops from Tulagi escaped to Florida Island and fought Marine andBritish Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force patrols for the next two months until being wiped out. The island subsequently served as a watering point for theUS Navy, diverting water from an underground source on the island.[2]
After World War II, the British administration moved toHoniara, Guadalcanal.
TheFlorida naked-tailed rat – possibly extinct – was endemic to the Nggela Islands. Theblack rat was introduced.
Other animals include:
The Central Islands – made up of the Savo, Ngella (Florida) and Russell Islands
