Rennell and Bellona is a province of the Solomon Islands comprised of two atolls, Rennell and Bellona, or Mu Nggava and Mu Ngiki respectively in Polynesian. They are both Polynesian-inhabited islands within the Solomons, most of the islands being primarily Melanesian with a few Micronesian island provinces. They are thus considered Polynesian outliers. Rennell is the Southern most island in the Solomons Group. Image File history File links Solomon_Islands-Rennell_and_Bellona. ... Fanning Atoll (Tabuaeran) is a typical, small to moderate-sized atoll located in the central Pacific Ocean. ... The Polynesian languages are a group of related languages spoken in the region known as Polynesia. ... Polynesia (from Greek, poly = many and nesi = island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean. ... Melanesia (from Greek black islands) is a region extending from the west Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. ... Polynesian outliers are a number of Polynesian islands which lie in Melanesia and Micronesia. ...

The atolls were officially discovered by English sailors aboard the merchant ship, Bellona, in 1793. The province has a combined population of 2,377 (1999). The Samoic language of the islands is, in English texts, called "Rennell". The capital is Tigoa on Rennell Island. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Samoic languages are one of the primary classes of Polynesian languages, encompassing the Polynesian languages of Samoa, Tuvalu, American Samoa, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, as well as a number of languages, spoken in parts of Tonga, the Cook Islands, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and... Rennell and Bellona is a province of the Solomon Islands comprised of two atolls, Rennell and Bellona, or Mu Nggava and Mu Ngiki respectively in Polynesian. ...

A dugout canoe on Lake Te Nggano

From this public domain site. ... From this public domain site. ...

Rennell Island

Rennell Island is almost totally surrounded by 120-150m cliffs and comprises mostly of raised coral limestone, with the eastern end dominated by a brackish lake, Lake Te Nggano (also Lake Tungano), while the western end is relatively flat from the northern to southern coasts with rolling hills, (forested where not pasturalised), indicating its volcanic origins. Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water. ...

Lake Te Nggano was used as a PBY Catalina flying boat base by American forces during the Pacific campaign of WW2. The forces scuttled eight of the warhorses at the end of hostilities rather than take them home. Members of the local community attempted to retrieve one of the radial engines to use as a generator using only man-power. First it was literally cut from the wing by diving with snorkels and using only hand-tools. It was then dragged across the coralline rock lake floor by hand-winch. Unfortunately, they were overcome in their task by the engines tremendous weight, and no doubt, grappling protuberances. They did manage to get it close to the shoreline before giving up, close enough that one of the propeller blades is exposed to the air. Very quickly however, the engine became unusable through corrosion, so further attempts to bring it ashore were abandoned. Image File history File links Catalina_Engine. ... Image File history File links Catalina_Engine. ... PBY Catalina was the US Navy designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 8 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ... Snorkel A snorkel (also spelled schnorkel or schnorchel) is a tube that allows a person, vehicle, or vessel to draw air while submerged under water. ...

Coconut Crab

The people of Rennell are geographically divided between the lower lake end and the higher end by two Christian religions. Around the Eastern end; Te Nggano, the people follow the South Seas Evangelical Commission. SSEC is a religion related to Seventh Day Adventists who occupy the Western end. One of the essential doctrines of the SSEC, in regard to diet, is that; the followers must not eat seafood which is not "finned and scaled", nor pork. Due to the tropical climate and thinly soiled coralline substrate, sheep and cattle do not thrive here. Villagers wishing to harvest seafood have the arduous task of climbing the surrounding 120-150m cliffs for the return journey to the coast. Once at the coast, they are bound to harvest only finned and scaled seafood, not shellfish, lobsters or other marine creatures. The serious deficiency in diet prompted the Solomons government to seed Lake Nggano with talapia fish. These seem to have thrived in the brackish conditions and are now a staple part of the diet. While coconut crabs are crustaceans, and use the sea to spawn, they are biblically not seafood and so are able to be harvested according to local tradition. Coconut (robber) Crab Image comes from this users [1] webpage. ... Coconut (robber) Crab Image comes from this users [1] webpage. ... The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), colloquially referred to as the Adventists, is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination that grew out of the prophetic Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th century. ... Coralline Rock is a type of rock formed by the death of layers of Coralline algae. ... Species Tilapia aurea - Blue Tilapia Tilapia galilaea - Galilee Cichlid Tilapia heudeloti - Senegal Cichlid Tilapia hornorum Tilapia macrochir - Longfin Tilapia Tilapia mariae - Spotted Tilapia Tilapia melanotheron - Blackchin Tilapia Tilapia nilotica - Nile Tilapia Tilapia rendalli - Redbreast Tilapia Tilapia sparrmani - Banded Tilapia Tilapia urolepis - Wami Tilapia Tilapia zillii - Redbelly Tilapia Tilapia are a... Binomial name Birgus latro Linnaeus, 1767 The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. ... Classes Remipedia Cephalocarida Branchiopoda Ostracoda Maxillopoda Malacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum. ...

Provinces of the Solomon Islands
Central | Choiseul | Guadalcanal | Isabel | Makira-Ulawa | Malaita | Rennell and Bellona | Temotu | Western