Nendo is the largest and most important of the Santa Cruz Islands

Santa Cruz Islands

The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. They lie approximately 250 miles to the southeast of the Solomon Islands Chain...

, located in the Temotu

Temotu

Temotu can refer to:* Temotu Province, a province of the Solomon Islands* Temotu, Tuvalu, an island in Vaitupu, Tuvalu* Temotu, Kiribati, a village on Marakei, Kiribati...

 province of the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

. The island is also known as Santa Cruz, Ndeni, Nitendi or Ndende. The name Santa Cruz was given to the island in 1595 by the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 navigator

Navigator

A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...

 Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira

Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira

Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira was a Spanish navigator. Born in Congosto, in León, he was the nephew of Lope García de Castro, viceroy of Peru...

, who unsuccessfully started a colony there.

Geography

Located at (10°25'12" S. lat

Latitude

In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...

., 165°30' E. long

Longitude

Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....

.), Nendo is 40 km (25 mi.) long and 22 km (14 mi.) wide. Its land area is 505.5 km² (195 sq. mi.). The highest point on the island is 549 m (1,801 ft.) above sea level

Sea level

Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...

.

The two small islands of Malo

Malo (Solomon Islands)

Malo is an island in the Solomon Islands; it is located in Temotu Province....

 and Nibanga (also called Tömotu Neo and Tömotu Noi), lie about 1 km (0.6 mi.) distant: Malo to the northwest, Nibanga to the southeast.

Lata

Lata, Solomon Islands

Lata is the provincial capital of Temotu Province, Solomon Islands. As of 2007, it has 553 inhabitants. There are a few rest houses for over night stays. There is a Post office, Telecom office and numerous stores....

, located in the northwestern part of the island, is its chief town and the provincial capital.

Population and languages

Nendo's population is somewhat over 5000. Most indigenous Nendo people are speakers of Natügu

Santa Cruz language

The Santa Cruz language is the main language spoken on the island of Nendö or 'Santa Cruz', in the Solomon Islands.-Genetic affiliation:It was widely believed until recently that Santa Cruz was a Papuan language...

, but there are also about 200 speakers of the related Nanggu

Nanggu language

The Nanggu language is one of two Reefs – Santa Cruz languages spoken on Nendö Island .-Names:The language is known by outsiders as Nanggu , from the name of one of the villages where it is still spoken...

 language (both members of the Reef Islands – Santa Cruz family). Speakers of other Temotu

Temotu

Temotu can refer to:* Temotu Province, a province of the Solomon Islands* Temotu, Tuvalu, an island in Vaitupu, Tuvalu* Temotu, Kiribati, a village on Marakei, Kiribati...

 province languages are also present, for example the other Reef Islands – Santa Cruz language Äiwoo, and the Polynesian outlier

Polynesian outlier

Polynesian outliers are a number of culturally Polynesian islands which lie in geographic or political Melanesia and Micronesia. Based on archaeological and linguistic analysis, these islands are believed to have been colonized by seafaring Polynesians, mostly from the area of Tonga, Samoa and...

 language Pileni

Pileni language

Vaeakau-Taumako is a Polynesian language spoken in some of the Reef Islands as well as in the Taumako Islands in the Temotu province of the Solomon Islands....

.

External links

• A Nendo folktale collected and translated by Robert Viking O'Brien from Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies
• Google Maps