Choiseul

Choiseul, island, western Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is located 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Bougainville Island, P.N.G., across the Bougainville Strait. Choiseul is 83 miles (134 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) across at its widest point and is largely surrounded by barrier reefs. The island is densely wooded and mountainous, culminating in Mount Maetambe (3,500 feet [1,067 metres]). The main coastal settlement is Sasamungga. Copra is the chief product; subsistence crops include taros, sweet potatoes, and yams. In World War II the Japanese, thrusting southward from New Guinea, invaded Choiseul (1942) and occupied the northern segment until their surrender in 1945. Parts of Choiseul were devastated by a tsunami that hit the western Solomon Islands in April 2007.