View source for Tulagi

{{Short description|Small island in Solomon Islands, north of Guadalcanal}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2008}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Tulagi
| image_name       = NggelaSolomons.png 
| image_caption    = The Nggela islands group, with Tulagi off the south coast of Nggela Sule
| image_size       =
| map              = Solomon Islands
| map_caption      = Location in Solomon Islands
| native_name      =
| native_name_link =
| nickname         =
| location         = [[South Pacific]]
| coordinates      = {{Coord|9|06|05|S|160|08|48|E|type:isle_region:SB-GU|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago      = [[Nggela Islands]]
| total_islands    =
| major_islands    =
| area_km2         = 2.08
| length_km        = 2.8
| width_km         =0.8
| highest_mount    = 
| elevation_m      = 100
| country          = {{SOL}}
| country_admin_divisions_title     = Province
| country_admin_divisions           = [[Central Province (Solomon Islands)|Central]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1   = 
| country_admin_divisions_1         = 
| country_admin_divisions_title_2   =
| country_admin_divisions_2         =
| country_largest_city              =
| country_largest_city_population   =
| population       = 1,251
| population_as_of = 2009
| density_km2      =
| ethnic_groups    =
| additional_info  =
}}

'''Tulagi ('''less commonly known as '''Tulaghi''') is a small island in [[Solomon Islands]], just off the south coast of [[Nggela Islands|Ngella Sule]].  The town of Tulagi is the capital of the [[Central Province, Solomon Islands|Central Province]].

==History==
The first recorded sighting by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira|Álvaro de Mendaña]] on 16 April 1568. More precisely the sighting was due to a local voyage done by a small boat, in the accounts the [[brigantine]] ''Santiago'', commanded by ''[[Maestre de Campo]]'' [[Pedro Ortega Valencia]] and having [[Hernán Gallego]] as pilot.<ref>Sharp, Andrew (1960). ''The discovery of the Pacific Islands''. Oxford. p. 45.</ref><ref>Brand, Donald D. ''The Pacific Basin: A History of its Geographical Explorations'' The American Geographical Society, New York, 1967, p.133.</ref>

From 1896 to 1942, the town of Tulagi was the capital of the [[British Solomon Islands|British Solomon Islands Protectorate]].  This island was favored as better isolated and healthier than the disease-ridden larger islands of the [[Solomon Islands (archipelago)|archipelago]].

===World War II===
The [[Japan]]ese occupied Tulagi on May 3, 1942, with the intention of establishing a [[seaplane]] base nearby (see [[Japanese Tulagi landing (1942)|Japanese Tulagi landing]]).  The ships in Tulagi harbor were raided by planes from {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|6}} the following day in a prelude to the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]].

[[File:Florida and Tulagi Islands.jpg|thumb|383x383px|Tulagi Island during World War II|left]]

Allied forces, primarily the 1st [[Marine Raiders]], landed on August 7 and captured Tulagi as part of [[Operation Watchtower]] after a day of hard fighting.

After its capture by [[United States Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps forces]], the island hosted a squadron of [[PT boat]]s for a year (including [[John F. Kennedy]]'s ''[[Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109|PT-109]]'') and other ancillary facilities. A small 20-bed dispensary was operated on Tulagi until its closure in 1946. The island also formed part of [[Purvis Bay]], which hosted many US Navy ships through 1942 and 1943.

===Postwar===
After [[Solomon Islands campaign|World War II]], the capital the state of Solomon Islands moved to [[Honiara]], [[Guadalcanal]].  While Tulagi is today the capital of the [[Central Province, Solomon Islands|Central Province]].

The present-day Tulagi has a [[fishing fleet]].

In October 2019, the government of Central Province signed a deal to grant the 75-year lease of the entire island of Tulagi to a Chinese company China Sam Enterprise Group.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 October 2019 |title=Chinese Lease of Entire Island Is Deemed Illegal in Solomons |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/world/australia/china-tulagi-solomon-islands-pacific.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref> However, this was declared unconstitutional by the Solomon Islands parliament after a week and, consequently, the deal was cancelled.

==Scuba diving==
Tulagi offers numerous [[scuba diving]] locations. The wrecks of [[USS Aaron Ward (DD-483)|USS ''Aaron Ward'']], [[USS Kanawha (AO-1)|USS ''Kanawha'']], and [[HMNZS Moa (T233)|HMNZS ''Moa'']] are close by, and the wrecks of [[Ironbottom Sound]] are not much further off, to the south and west.  These three ships were all sunk in the same Japanese naval air raid, part of the Operation "I" on April 7, 1943. The ''Ward''  lies upright and intact, its deck replete with artifacts, on a sandy bottom at {{convert|70|m|ft|abbr=off}}.

Tulagi is developing a [[Tourism|tourism industry]] based on scuba.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

== Climate ==
<div style="width:75%">
{{Weather box
|location = Tulagi
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|Jan high F = 88
|Feb high F = 88
|Mar high F = 88
|Apr high F = 88
|May high F = 87
|Jun high F = 86
|Jul high F = 86
|Aug high F =86
|Sep high F = 86
|Oct high F = 87
|Nov high F =88
|Dec high F = 89
|year high F = 87
|Jan low F = 76
|Feb low F = 76
|Mar low F = 76
|Apr low F = 76
|May low F = 76
|Jun low F = 75
|Jul low F = 75
|Aug low F = 74
|Sep low F = 76
|Oct low F = 76
|Nov low F = 76
|Dec low F = 76
|year low F = 76
|Jan precipitation inch = 14.3
|Feb precipitation inch =15.8
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.5
|Apr precipitation inch = 2
|May precipitation inch = 8.1
|Jun precipitation inch = 6.8
|Jul precipitation inch = 7.6
|Aug precipitation inch = 8.7
|Sep precipitation inch = 8
|Oct precipitation inch = 8.7
|Nov precipitation inch = 10
|Dec precipitation inch = 10.4
|year precipitation inch = 100.9
|source 1 = Weatherbase <ref name=Weatherbase>
{{cite web
|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=181519&refer=wikipedia |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Tulagi, Solomon Islands
|publisher=Weatherbase
|year=2011
}}
Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
</ref>
|date=November 2011
}}
</div>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Islands of the Solomon Islands}}
{{PT-109}}
{{Recreational dive sites|wrereg}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Former national capitals]]
[[Category:Islands of the Solomon Islands]]
[[Category:Populated places in Central Province (Solomon Islands)]]
[[Category:Wreck diving sites]]