Cities on the islands: a short photo guide to the capitals of the states of Oceania

You won't see famous sights here

Paris is easy to recognize by the Eiffel Tower, Washington by the dome of the Capitol. But there are cities whose appearance is not familiar to anyone. These are, for example, the capitals of the island states of Oceania.

Cities on the islands: a brief photo guide to the capitals of Oceania

Nauru

Nauru, the smallest island nation and the smallest independent republic on Earth, does not officially have a capital. The whole country can be walked around in three hours or by car in 20 minutes.

Locals live mainly in coastal villages, moving between them on pickup trucks and motorcycles. In the center of the tropical island, the “lunar landscape” is an abandoned open pit for the extraction of phosphorites.

Cities on the islands: a brief photo guide to the capitals of Oceania

The Republic of Nauru does without an official capital, but locals still consider the village of Yaren near the airport as such. It is here that the parliament and the residence of President Lionel Engimei are located. In addition to government buildings in the “metropolitan” village, there is a Chinese restaurant, a small shop and a dusty road.

See also the islanders of Nauru

Solomon Islands

The capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara, is a rather densely populated city on the island of Guadalcanal. More than 85 thousand people live here. In addition to government agencies and higher educational institutions, the capital has a huge market for vegetables and fruits. Every week, thousands of people from the remote, wilder islands of the archipelago arrive at the port of Honiara in ships and boats to sell their crops. In total, the state owns 992 islands.

Cities on the islands: a short photo guide to the capitals of the states of Oceania

Honiara is cut through by many rivers and streams, which overflow during the rains. To get from one part of the city to another, locals have to organize makeshift rope ferries, mostly run by teenagers for a small fee.

Cities on the islands: a brief photo guide to the capitals of the states of Oceania

Honiara is home to many immigrants from the Ontong Jawa atoll, lost in the ocean 250 kilometers northeast of the Solomon Islands archipelago . People moved to the capital because of the increasing hurricanes and brought with them the culture of the Polynesian tribes.

Cities on the islands: a short photo guide to the capitals of the states of Oceania

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Vanuatu

Kava kava, or simply kava, is Vanuatu's calling card. Many tourists come to the islands to try this intoxicating pepper root drink, which replaces local alcohol. Without kava, not a single ceremony takes place in Vanuatu, not a single contract is concluded.

Cities on the islands: a short photo guide to the capitals of Oceania

On numerous islands in the archipelago, only men are allowed to drink kava, but in the capital, Port Vila, the ban does not apply, and entire families can be seen in kava bars.

In the evenings, residents of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, flock to « orange light” in kava bars. It is by the orange subdued light that these establishments can be identified.

Cities on the islands: a short photo guide to the capitals of Oceania

Cava is usually drunk from a coconut cup in solitude and twilight in a special section of the bar, then the visitor bites the drink with a banana or baked taro and returns to the table with his interlocutors.

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Micronesia

Palikir, the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia, is located on the island of Pohnpei. At the entrance to the city there is a monument-pointer with the text of the country's constitution.

Cities on the islands: a short photo guide to the capitals of the states of Oceania

Formally, an independent republic has its own president, but remains in free association with the United States. The city of Palikir is more like a village, on one of the fields of which one-story government buildings were built. Until 1989, the capital was Colonia, which remains the largest population center and commercial center of the island.

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