Rennell and Bellona Province

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Rennell and Bellona Province
Statistics
Capital: Tigoa
Area: 671 km²
Ranked 8th
Inhabitants: 2,377 (1999)
Ranked 9th
Pop. density: 3.5 inh./km²
Ranked 9th
Map
Map of the Solomon Islands highlighting Rennell and Bellona Province

Rennell and Bellona is a province of the Solomon Islands comprised of two inhabited atolls, Rennell and Bellona, or Mu Nggava and Mu Ngiki respectively in Polynesian, as well as the uninhabited Indispensable Reef.

Rennell and Bellona are both Polynesian-inhabited islands within the Solomons, most of the islands being primarily Melanesian with a few polynesian islands. They are thus considered Polynesian outliers.

A dugout canoe on Lake Te Nggano
A dugout canoe on Lake Te Nggano

The atolls were officially discovered by Mathew Boyd of Camberwell, London, Commander of 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.

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Coordinates: 11°40′S, 160°10′E