Isabel Province (also spelled Ysabel) is one of the

provinces of Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is divided into nine provinces. The national capital, Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal, is separately governed as the country's Capital Territory. History Under the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, there were initi ...

. The province had a population of around 35,257 as of 2020, mostly concentrated on the main island,

Santa Isabel Island Santa Isabel (also known as Isabel, Ysabel and Mahaga) is the largest island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split ...

. The capital of the province is

Buala Buala is a town in Solomon Islands located on Santa Isabel Island, which is the longest island in Solomon Islands. Buala consists of Jejevo station and Buala Village. Buala is located on a side of a hill so there is no place for the town to expa ...

on Santa Isabel Island, which has scheduled airline services to

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...

Solomon Airlines Solomon Airlines is the flag carrier of Solomon Islands, based in Honiara. History Solomon Airlines was established in 1962 as a charter airline by Laurie Crowley. Crowley had a charter operation in Papua New Guinea with occasional charter fl ...

from Fera Airport, on Fera Island, a 15-minute boat ride from Buala. The province has an economy dominated by

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...

with occasional plantations for cash crops such as

copra Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...

, and by logging activities. The province is seldom visited by tourists due to poor infrastructure, lack of roads, hotels, modern medical care, and endemic

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. Most areas have a "Rest House", a house where guests can seek accommodation for the night or two, but many residents are willing to take in visitors for the night. Santa Isabel is the longest Island in Solomon Islands. The first European contact to the Solomon Islands was made by Spanish navigator

Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira Álvaro de Mendaña y Neira (or Neyra) (1 October 1542 – 18 October 1595) was a Spanish navigator, explorer, and cartographer, best known for two of the earliest recorded expeditions across the Pacific Ocean in 1567 and 1595. His voyages led t ...

in 1568, who gave them their name because he left Spain on Santa Isabella's day. The highest point is Mount Kubonitu, also known as Mount Sasari at .

Administrative divisions

Isabel Province is sub-divided into the following wards: Isabel Province (26,158) *Kia (1,929) *Baolo (1,148) *Kokota (1,177) *Hovikoilo (1,988) *

(2,813) *Tirotongana (689) *Koviloko (1,234) *Kmaga (1,862) *Kaloka (962) *Tatamba (1,404) *Sigana (2,394) *Japuana (2,163) *Kolomola (949) *Kolotubi (1,671) *Susubona (1,907) *Samasodu (1,868)

Islands

* Arnarvon * Kerehikapa * Fera Island * Maleivona * Onogou Island *

Ramos Ramos is a surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin that means "bouquets" or "branches". People with the surname Ramos are most likely found in Mexico, Brazil or Puerto Rico. Notable people and characters with the surname include: People ...

* San Jorge * Santa Isabel * Sikopo * Mahige * Barora Fa'a * Barora Ite * Papatura F'a * Papatura Ite

Notable people

Jeremiah Manele Jeremiah Manele (born 1968) is a Solomon Island politician serving as Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, prime minister following the 2024 Solomon Islands general election. He is the first prime minister of the country to come from Isabel Provin ...

– Prime Minister since 2024, born in Santa Isabel

References

External links

Provincial Profile of Isabel by constituency, People First Network

Community Media programme in Isabel Province, 2009
*
Multimedia and social network for Isabel media programme
*
Isabel Youth Learning4Peace

{{Authority control Provinces of the Solomon Islands States and territories established in 1981