The largest settlement, and the capital of the Esa'ala District, is Esa’ala at the island's northern end, which has a total of approximately 500 homes, residences, and structures.

[4][5] In 1873, the island was visited by British Captain John Moresby, commanding HMS Basilisk, who named it after the Marquess of Normanby, George Augustus Constantine Phipps, a governor of Queensland, Australia.

Normanby Island's income comes from three main sources, tourism, gold mining, and the copra/timber industry.

There are at least 25 settlements on the island with more than 5 houses, with hundreds more small huts and farms scattered around the terrain.

The majority of the structures in both settlements are wooden huts made from nearby trees around the building.