Simbo

Simbo is an island in Western Province, Solomon Islands. It was known to early Europeans as Eddystone Island. The islanders have their unique language spoken nowhere else.^[2]

Simbo
New Georgia Islands; Simbo at left
Highest point
Elevation	335 m (1,099 ft)
Coordinates	8°17′30″S 156°31′0″E
Geography
Location	New Georgia Islands, Solomon Islands
Geology
Mountain type	Stratovolcanoes
Volcanic arc	Solomon Islands
Last eruption	1910 ± 10 years[1]

Geography

Simbo is actually two main islands, one small island called Nusa Simbo separated by a saltwater lagoon from a larger one. Collectively the islands are known to the local people as Mandegugusu, while in the rest of the Solomons the islands are referred to as Simbo.^[3] Simbo has an active volcano called Ove as well several saltwater lagoons and a freshwater lake.

2007 Earthquake and Tsunami

On April 2, 2007, Simbo was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami which is now known as the 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake. A 12 m tsunami destroyed two villages, Tapurai and Riquru, on the northern side of the island. Even though the tsunami hit the villages just minutes after the earthquake nearly everyone in the villages ran for safety before the waves hit. Their astonishing response was probably due to a combination of deep ecological knowledge of the coastal waters as well as an uncanny capacity to sense the impeding danger.^[4]

In popular culture

Some of the historic cultural practices on Simbo are referenced in The Ghost Road, a novel by Pat Barker about World War I. The author used the research of Arthur Maurice Hocart and the psychoanalyst William Rivers.