Munda (Solomon Islands)

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For other uses of the term see Munda

Munda is the largest settlement on the island of New Georgia in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It is located at the southwestern tip (called Munda Point) of the western end of New Georgia, and the large Roviana Lagoon is just offshore.

Munda Point was originally the site of a coconut plantation established by Australian Norman Wheately. During World War II the Japanese built an airstrip to serve as a staging point to Guadalcanal. A convoy put in to Munda Point on 24 November 1942, and started construction under careful concealment from the air, but were discovered by American planes on 3 December, and the first airstrikes were delivered by B-17s on 9 December. However, the Japanese were able to use Munda despite regular bombardment from both air and sea, and the Americans' New Georgia Campaign spent July of 1943 closing in on Munda overland, capturing it on 6 August.