North Solomons Province has two main islands, Buka and Bougainville plus a scattering of smaller islands and atolls. It is located north east of mainland Papua New Guinea.
A decade ago, North Solomon Province was the most frequently visited destination in Papua New Guinea. Its' natural beauty and friendly people presented the perfect ingredients for an idyllic tropical island holiday.
However, internal conflicts have temporarily suspended services to the province and it is currently closed to tourism.
The territory of Papua New Guinea extends east into the South Pacific Ocean to include the island of Bougainville. Together with Buka Island and a number of smaller islands, Bougainville forms North Solomons Province. Although it is considered a part of the Solomon Islands chain, Bougainville is a district of Papua New Guinea and is not aligned with the independent nation of the Solomon Islands. Situated at the northwest end of the archipelago, Bougainville is the largest island in the Solomons.
Wooded and mountainous, Bougainville’s highest peak, Mount Balbi, is an active volcano. The humid, tropical weather suits the cacao and coffee crops that grow well on the island, as do palms and rubber trees. The Melanesian people primarily fish and farm, and supplement their economy by exporting cacao, copra, and copper. Arawa is the island’s largest community, and Kieta the principal harbour.
The island is named after French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who explored it in 1768. At the end of the 19th century, Germany gained control of the island, but lost it to Australia after World War I. Japan occupied the island during World War II, after which Bougainville was placed under the trust of the United Nations (UN)—a territory that would become part of Papua New Guinea in 1975.
Boating enthusiasts find this a marine wonderland with untouched reefs to explore and an everlasting supply of reef fish and shellfish.
Buka
Island is accessible by boat and plane from Rabaul and has a small guest
lodge in town. Walking through village tracks and plantation roads is the
best way to discover the flora.
North Solomons had PNG's most productive economy and one of its most effective government and education systems before a seccsionist uprising disrupted it in 1989. Restoration programs since 1991 have been aimed at bringing the province back to those levels. By 1992 North Solomons ranked second in cocoa exports and fifth in copra. It led in cocoa and was second in copra before the disruptions. The big copper/gold mine at Panguna has enough ore reserves to warrant re-opening. Whether that would happen, and who would do it remained in question.
SUMMARY
Population: 154 000 (estimate).
Land area: 9300 square km.
Members in Parliament: 4
Headquarters: Arawa
District; citizens; major languages:
- Buin; 45 048 (estimate); Buin, Siwai, Nagovisi, Banoni.
- Buka, hq Buka Passage; 50 713 (estimate); Halia, Teop, Solos, Nehen.
- Kieta; 58 239 (estimate); Nasioi, Rotokas, Eivo.