     guadalcanal (indigenous name: isatabu) is the principal island in guadalcanal province of the nation of solomon islands in the south-western pacific. it was discovered by the spanish expedition of Ãlvaro de mendaÃ±a in 1568. the name comes from guadalcanal, a village in the province of seville, in andalusia, spain, birthplace of pedro de ortega valencia, a member of mendaÃ±a's expedition. during 1942â43 it was the scene of bitter fighting between japanese and allied troops; the allies were ultimately victorious. at the end of the war, honiara, on the north coast of guadalcanal, became the new capital of the british solomon islands protectorate. guadalcanal is mainly covered in dense tropical rainforest and it has a mountainous interior. the population in 1998 was around 85,000. == history == ===western charting=== a spanish expedition from peru under the command of Ãlvaro de mendaÃ±a de neira discovered the island in the year 1568. mendaÃ±a's subordinate, pedro de ortega valencia, named the island after his home town guadalcanal in andalusia, spain. the name comes from the arabic wÄdÄ« l-khÄnÄt (), which means "valley 
Guadalcanal Islands_of_the_Solomon_Islands World_War_II_battlefields