Lata, Solomon Islands

Lata is the main town of Temotu Province in the Solomon Islands. About 1,806 people lived there in 2019. Visitors can stay in a few rest houses. The town has a post office, a telecom office, and several stores.

Lata has a small air strip with flights to Makira and Honiara. Shipping to Honiara or nearby islands happens only sometimes, but people can also travel by outboard canoe around Nendö or to the Reef Islands. The main hospital for Temotu Province, Lata Hospital, is in the town.

The town’s airline service comes from Solomon Airlines. In the past, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands provided helicopter flights every two weeks to Lata. Because Lata is far from the capital, Honiara, it was not greatly affected by ethnic tensions in 2003.

Lata has one free television channel that broadcasts on the VHF band. This channel, run by Telekom Television, offers sports and news. It is owned by Solomon Telekom, one of the two main telecom companies in the Solomon Islands.

The town includes a neighborhood called Matamotu.

Climate

Lata has a tropical rainforest climate with plenty of rain throughout the year.