Santa Cruz Islands

Map of the Santa Cruz Islands
A NASA picture of Nendo, the largest of the Santa Cruz Islands
Map of "Queen Charlotte's Islands," based on exploration by Philip Carteret in 1767

The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the nation of Solomon Islands. They lie approximately 250 miles (220 nmi; 400 km) to the southeast of the Solomon Islands archipelago. The Santa Cruz Islands lie just north of the archipelago of Vanuatu, and are considered part of the Vanuatu rain forests ecoregion.