Fenualoa
island in Temotu Province, Solomon Islands
Fenualoa is the second largest island in the Reef Islands, in Temotu Province, in the nation of Solomon Islands.
Name
The name is of Polynesian origin (fenua loa), meaning "long land".
Geography
The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is some 17 metres. At low tide, Fenualoa is connected to the neighboring island of Nifiloli to the north. The west side of the island is mainly sandy beaches facing the huge lagoon and the Great Reef. The east side is steep rocky cliffs with the deep Forest Passage separating Fenualoa from the largest island of the group Lomlom.
Population
The island is very densely populated with four main villages, each made up of sub-villages and total approximately 1500 inhabitants (2008), all on the west side of the 8 km by 600m long and thin island. The largest villages are Tuo (Tuwo), Maluba, Tanga and Malapu (running south to north). There are three schools on the island and the people are Melanesian. A few yachts (1 or 2 per year) visit the island by entering the huge lagoon through the Great Reef (the lagoon is approximately 25 km east west by 8 km north south).
“Fenualoa” enters the record as island in Temotu Province, Solomon Islands. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Fenualoa, island and Temotu can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Fenualoa” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Fenualoa, island and Temotu provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 5, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q4482654. Authority coordinates are -10.250, 166.250. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1500 and 2008.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fenualoa”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fenualoa primary sources, Fenualoa archive and Fenualoa research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fenualoa”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fenualoa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.