Ghizo is relatively small when compared to the surrounding islands, the island is 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) wide, with a summit elevation of 180 metres (590 ft) (Maringe Hill).

The original resettlement in the 1930s was on alleged grounds of overcrowding, particularly on drought prone islands in the southern Gilberts.

The second resettlement was on alleged grounds of the islands in the Phoenix group having harsh living conditions and also prone to drought, although remoteness and costs falling on the colonial administration also played parts.

)[1][2][3] The whole of the island and its surrounding waters, with a total area of 12,862 hectares (31,783 acres), has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports populations of several threatened or endemic bird species.

These include Melanesian scrubfowl, red-knobbed imperial pigeons, buff-headed coucals, Sanford's sea eagles, Solomons cockatoos, cardinal lories, song parrots and Gizo white-eyes.