Rennell and Bellona are both Polynesian-inhabited islands within the Solomons, most of the islands being primarily Melanesian with a few polynesian islands. They are thus considered Polynesian outliers.
A dugout canoe on Lake Te Nggano
The atolls were officially discovered by Mathew Boyd of Camberwell, London, Commander of the merchant ship, Bellona, in 1793. The province has a combined population of 2,377 (1999). The Samoic language of the islands is, in English texts, called "Rennell". The capital is Tigoa on Rennell Island.