| Vanua Levu Group
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| Islands of Fiji
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Vanua Levu (pronounced [βanua leβu]), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. The Vanua Levu Group is an Archipelago in northern Fiji. It takes its name from its predominant island Vanua Levu. Kioa is an Island in Fiji, an outlier to Vanua Levu, one of Fiji's two main islands Laucala (lauðala is an island in Fiji. It is one of three small islands the others being Qamea and Matagi, lying to the east of Thurston Point Matagi (mataŋi sometimes written Matangi, is an island of Fiji, one of three tiny volcanic islands grouped to the east of Thurston Point on the Namena Lala (sometimes spelt Namenalala) is a volcanic Islet in Fiji, an outlier to the northern island of Vanua Levu (off Qamea (ŋgamea is one of three islets lying to the east of Thurston Point on the island of Taveuni, Fiji, the others being Matagi and Rabi (rambi is a volcanic island in northern Fiji. It is an outlier to Taveuni (5 kilometers west in the Vanua Levu Group Taveuni (taβeuni is the third-largest island in Fiji after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, with a total land area of 435 square kilometers Yadua Taba (jandua tamba is a volcanic Islet in Fiji, an outlier to the northern island of Vanua Levu. Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Viti Levu (ˈβiti ˈleβu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population Conway Reef, known in Fijian as Ceva-I-Ra (ðeβaira is a three-kilometer long Coral Reef situated at 21 Kadavu (kandaβu with an area of 411 square kilometers is the fourth largest island in Fiji, and the largest island in the Kadavu Group, a Taveuni (taβeuni is the third-largest island in Fiji after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, with a total land area of 435 square kilometers Rotuma is a Fijian Dependency, consisting of the island of Rotuma and the nearby islets of Hatana, Hạf Liua, Solkope, Solnohu The Kadavu Group is an Archipelago south of Viti Levu, one of Fiji 's two main islands The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific The Lomaiviti (lomaiβiti Archipelago of Fiji consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones The Mamanuca Islands of Fiji are a volcanic Archipelago lying to the west of Nadi and to the south of the Yasawa Islands. The Moala Islands are a subgroup of Fiji 's Lau Archipelago. Its three islands ( Matuku, Moala, and Totoya) are located The Ringgold Isles are an Archipelago in Fiji, forming an outlier group to Vanua Levu. The Rotuma Group is a group of islands dominated by Rotuma Island, and including the nearby islets of Hatana, Haf'liua, Solkope, Solnohu The Vanua Levu Group is an Archipelago in northern Fiji. It takes its name from its predominant island Vanua Levu. The Viti Levu Group in Fiji consists of the island of Viti Levu and its outliers including Bau, Beqa, Nukulau, and Vatulele The Yasawa Group is an Archipelago of about 20 volcanic Islands in the Western Division of Fiji, with an approximate total area of An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Located 64 kilometres to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of 5,587. Viti Levu (ˈβiti ˈleβu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population 1 km² and a population of some 130,000.
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Geography
Geologists believe that Vanua Levu is an amalgamation of several islands that melded through successive stages of uplift. A geologist is a contributor to the Science of Geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system The main part of the island is roughly shaped like a tall, thin triangle 30 to 50 kilometers in width and 180 kilometres in length, rotated so that the point is to the northeast. This point, the northernmost in the Fiji chain, is Udu Cape. From the southeastern side of this triangle, a long peninsula stretches out into the Koro Sea. A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus. The Koro Sea or Sea of Koro is a Sea in the Pacific Ocean lying between Viti Levu to the west and the Lau Islands to the east The island is surrounded by coral reefs, and is rough and hilly.
The island is divided horizontally by a rugged mountain range, which forms much of the boundary between the Provinces of Cakaudrove and Macuata. Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions which are further subdivided into fourteen Provinces Each division is headed by a Commissioner Cakaudrove is one of fourteen Provinces of Fiji, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the south-eastern third Macuata is one of Fiji 's fourteen Provinces, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the north-eastern 40 percent The highest peaks are Mount Batini, also known as Nasorolevu, with an altitude of 1111 meters, and, 16 kilometers further north-east, Dikeva, also known as Mount Thurston, with an altitude of 1030 meters. Vanua Levu's main mountain ranges lie near the windward, southern coasts, making them much wetter. Northern Vanua Levu, by contrast, is dry eight months of the year, enabling sugar cane, the island's major crop, to thrive there. Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae
Vanua Levu has a number of rivers, including the Labasa, the Wailevu, and the Qawa. These three form a delta on which the town of Labasa stands. A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river Labasa (lambasa is a town in Fiji with a population of 24187 at the last Census held in 1996. None of the island's rivers are navigable by large vessels.
Demographics and economic activities
The island's main population centres are the towns of Labasa, in the north, and Savusavu, located at the foot of the peninsula. Savusavu is a town in the Fijian Province of Cakaudrove on the island of Vanua Levu, with a population of 4962 at the 1996 Census Labasa, with a population of almost 25,000 at the 1996 census, has a large Indian community, and is a major centre of Fiji's sugar industry. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population Savusavu is smaller, with a population of just under 5000, but is a popular centre for tourists owing to its diving and yachting facilities. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Diving off a deck into the Great South Bay of Long Islandjpg|thumb|A man dives into the Great South Bay of Long Island. A yacht is a recreational boat It designates two rather different classes of Watercraft, sailing and power yachts
The main industry on the island is sugar cane production, especially in the north. Copra is also an important crop. Tourism is now becoming a major industry on Vanua Levu also.
Politics
For administrative purposes, Vanua Levu is divided into three Provinces: Bua (in the west), Macuata (in the north-east), and Cakaudrove (in the south-east). These three provinces also comprise the Northern Division of Fiji. The Northern Division is one of four Divisions into which Fiji 's fourteen Provinces are grouped for local government purposes Together with the remote Lau Islands, Vanua Levu and its outliers form the Tovata Confederacy, one of three traditional alliances of Fiji's chiefs. The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Tovata is one of three confederacies comprising the Fijian House of Chiefs, to which all of Fiji's chiefs belong The Paramount Chief, who is based on the nearby island of Taveuni, holds the title of Tui Cakau. Taveuni (taβeuni is the third-largest island in Fiji after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, with a total land area of 435 square kilometers The Tui Cakau is the Paramount Chief of Cakaudrove Province in Fiji.
Only two population centres - Labas] and Savusavu - have been incorporated as Towns. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan Each is governed by a Mayor and a Town Council, whose members are elected for a three-year term and choose the Mayor from among themselves. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or Parishes A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch
History
The Dutch navigator Abel Tasman was the first known European to sight Vanua Levu, in 1643. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Abel Janszoon Tasman ( 1603 - October 10 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and Merchant. The European peoples are the various Nations and Ethnic groups of Europe. He was followed by Captain William Bligh in 1789, en route to Timor while escaping from the Mutiny on the Bounty, in which his crew had forced him and those loyal to him off deck and cast them adrift in a lifeboat. Vice-Admiral William Bligh FRS RN (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817 was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Timor is an Island at the south end of the Malay Archipelago, north of the Timor Sea. For the book about the mutiny by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall see Mutiny on the Bounty (novel. Duff skipper Captain James Wilson subsequently explored the area in 1797. The Duff Islands ( Pileni Taumako) are a small island group lying to the northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands in the Solomon Islands province of James Wilson ( September 14, 1742 August 21, 1798) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, twice elected to the Continental Year 1797 ( MDCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
Traders began exploiting sandalwood thickets in the Bua Bay area around 1805. for the film industry in India see Cinema of Karnataka Sandalwood is the name for several fragrant Woods and their Essential Year 1805 ( MDCCCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or By 1815, however, the supply had been depleted and apart from the occasional visit from whalers and bêche-de-mer traders, the island received little further attention until 1840, when a young sailor known as Jackson deserted his crew at Somosomo on the nearby island of Taveuni, was adopted by a local Chief, and explored much of eastern and northern Vanua Levu. Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Whaling is the hunting of Whales and dates back to at least 6000 BC The sea cucumber (also known as trepang, bêche-de-mer, or ambiguously Sea slug) is an Echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Somosomo is a chiefly village in Taveuni, which is the Island where the International date line crosses on land in Fiji. Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank An equivalent title Adi (andi is used by females of chiefly rank
Settlers from Australia and New Zealand established coconut plantations in the Savusavu area in the 1860s. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the USA was completed in 1869 Intermarriage with Fijian people produced a mixed-race elite, which also prospered from the sale of copra, of which Savusavu was a major centre, until the Great Depression of the 1930s led to a collapse in the price of copra. Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. Copra is the dried meat or kernel of the Coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam word kopra for dried coconut The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. In the same period, Indians founded the town of Labasa, now a major sugar-producing centre. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. Another major product is fried chickens.
External links
Vanua Levu travel guide from Wikitravel
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