Santa Isabel

Santa Isabel, formerly Ysabel, island, central Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Guadalcanal. About 130 miles (209 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) across at its widest point, it has a mountainous backbone with Mount Marescot (4,000 feet [1,219 metres]) as its highest peak. A narrow passage divides Santa Isabel from a group of islets (Barora Fa, Barora Ite, and Ghaghe) at its northern end; San Jorge Island lies off its southwestern corner, separated by Ortega Channel and Thousand Ships Bay. Much of Santa Isabel and its surrounding islands is under cultivation for copra production, and there is a timber development near Allardyce Harbour. The island contains unexploited mineral deposits. Chief villages on Santa Isabel are Kia (north) and Dadale Plantation (centre). Rakata Bay in the northwest was a Japanese military base during World War II until captured by Allied forces in 1943.