📖 About Gizo

Gizo is the second-largest town in the Solomon Islands and capital of the Western Province, located on Ghizo Island in the New Georgia Islands group. With approximately 7,000 inhabitants, this small but significant town serves as the commercial hub for the surrounding islands. Gizo offers visitors world-class diving, WWII history, and authentic Melanesian culture in a remote Pacific setting.

The surrounding waters are legendary among divers. Crystal-clear visibility, diverse marine life, and numerous WWII wrecks (including PT-109, John F. Kennedy's patrol boat) make this one of the Pacific's premier dive destinations. The coral reefs, relatively untouched by mass tourism, offer pristine underwater experiences.

Life in Gizo moves at Pacific island pace. The market sells fresh fish and tropical produce; dugout canoes share the harbor with fishing boats; and the surrounding villages maintain traditional customs. Visitors seeking off-the-beaten-path adventure find in Gizo an authentic South Pacific experience far from tourist crowds.

🏛️ Top Attractions

💼 Economy & Culture

Gizo's economy combines subsistence fishing and farming with commercial services for the Western Province. The dive tourism industry provides employment and foreign exchange. Logging operations in surrounding islands generate revenue despite environmental concerns. Government services for the provincial capital employ locals. The port handles copra, timber, and fish exports. Despite remoteness, Gizo functions as a supply center for outlying communities.

Melanesian culture remains vibrant in the Western Province. Traditional kastom (custom) governs village life, land tenure, and social relations. Christianity (various denominations) coexists with ancestral beliefs. Shell money retains ceremonial and some commercial value. Wood carving, particularly the distinctive nguzunguzu canoe prow figures, represents regional artistry. Music, feasting, and community gatherings mark important occasions. The relatively untouristed nature of the Solomons helps preserve authentic cultural practices.

📜 History

Melanesian peoples have inhabited the Western Province for thousands of years, developing sophisticated maritime cultures. European contact came with whalers and traders in the 19th century, followed by British colonial rule establishing the Solomon Islands Protectorate. Gizo developed as an administrative center for the western islands.

World War II transformed the region. The 1943 New Georgia Campaign saw intense fighting as Americans pushed Japanese forces back up the island chain. PT-109's sinking made Lieutenant John F. Kennedy a war hero, later becoming a campaign story for his presidential bid. Post-war development proceeded slowly. Independence in 1978 and subsequent ethnic tensions (1998-2003) affected the Solomons but less severely impacted the Western Province. Today's Gizo serves as provincial capital and diving destination, preserving WWII heritage and traditional culture.