Gavutu is a small islet in the Central Province of Solomon Islands, some 500 metres (550 yards) in length.

The first recorded sighting by Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Álvaro de Mendaña on 16 April 1568.

More precisely the sighting was due to a local voyage done by a small boat, in the accounts the brigantine Santiago, commanded by maestre de campo Pedro Ortega Valencia and having Hernán Gallego as pilot.

[3] Along with the nearby island of Tanambogo, it played an important role in the Guadalcanal campaign during World War II.

In 1942 the Japanese attempted to establish a seaplane base on the island.