SANTA ISABEL

formerly Ysabel, island in the central Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean, 50 mi (80 km) northwest of Guadalcanal. About 130 mi (209 km) long and 20 mi (32 km) across at its widest point, it has a mountainous backbone with Mt. Marescot (4,000 ft ) as its highest peak. Kia Passage divides Santa Isabel from a group of islets (Barola [Barora Fa], Barora Ite, and Ghaghe) at its northern end; San Jorge Island lies off its southwestern corner, separated by Ortega Channel and Thousand Ships Bay. The group is largely under coconut plantations for copra production, and there is a timber development near Allardyce Harbour. Nickel-bearing laterites were discovered in the 1960s. Chief villages on Santa Isabel are Kia (north) and Dadale Plantation (centre). Rekata Bay in the northwest was a Japanese base during World War II until captured by U.S. forces in 1943. Pop. (1976) Santa Isabel and adjacent islands, 10,420.