The Yasawa Group is an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands in the Western Division of Fiji, with an approximate total area of 135 square kilometers. Kuata is an island of the Yasawa Group in Fiji 's Ba Province. Nacula is a hilly and volcanic island of the Yasawa Group in Fiji 's Ba Province Nanuya Lailai is an island of the Yasawa Group in Fiji. It is located north of Nanuya Levu, which served as a location for the film The Blue Nanuya Levu (nanuja leβu is a privately owned island of the Yasawa Group in Fiji and the site of the Turtle Island Resort, a sustainable luxury resort Naviti (naβiti is a volcanic island in the Yasawa Group, in the Western Division of Fiji. Tavewa is the largest island of the Yasawa Islands, measuring approximately 3 kilometres long by 1 km wide Yasawa, also called Assawa and Ysava, is the main island of the Yasawa Group, an Archipelago in Fiji 's Western Division 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 Vanua Levu (βanua leβu formerly known as Sandalwood Island is the second largest Island of Fiji. 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 An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the 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 The Western Division of Fiji is one of Fiji's four divisions. Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य

Geography

Bay of Yalobi, Waya Island

Sandbar connecting the islands of Waya and Wayasewa

The Yasawa group consists of six main islands and numerous smaller islets. The archipelago, which stretches in a north-easterly direction for more than 80 kilometers from a point 40 kilometers north-west of Lautoka, is volcanic in origin and very mountainous, with peaks ranging from 250 to 600 meters in height. Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometers north of Nadi, and is the second port The only safe passage for shipping is between Yasawa Island (the largest in the archipelago, about 22 kilometers long and less than a kilometer wide) and Round Island, 22 kilometers to the north-east. Yasawa, also called Assawa and Ysava, is the main island of the Yasawa Group, an Archipelago in Fiji 's Western Division

Tourism, economy and culture

Until 1987, it was the policy of the Fiji government that the Yasawa Group was closed to land-based tourism. There has been limited cruise operations since the 1950s, but passengers had to stay aboard their ships. Local residents benefited little from the passengers presence.

Due to its freehold real-estate status, three budget resorts were operating on Tavewa island since the early 1980s. Tavewa is the largest island of the Yasawa Islands, measuring approximately 3 kilometres long by 1 km wide

Nanuya Levu, also known as Turtle Island, is one of Fiji's most famous resorts. Nanuya Levu (nanuja leβu is a privately owned island of the Yasawa Group in Fiji and the site of the Turtle Island Resort, a sustainable luxury resort Areas of the Yasawas were the locales for the 1980 filming of the romance adventure film The Blue Lagoon. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 English language romance and Adventure film starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins

Richard Evanson purchased Nanuya Levu island in the 1970 and moved there in 1972. Nanuya Levu (nanuja leβu is a privately owned island of the Yasawa Group in Fiji and the site of the Turtle Island Resort, a sustainable luxury resort After the filming of The Blue Lagoon on Nanuya Levu, Mr. The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 English language romance and Adventure film starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins Evanson converted the bure's established for the film crew into the Turtle Island resort. Bure is the Fijian word for a wood-and-straw hut, sometimes similar to a cabin.

Since the Fijian government lifted the restrictions on land-based tourism in the Yasawa Group, a number of resorts have been established there.

Tourism is growing in importance. Permission is required to visit all islands in the group except Tavewa. Tavewa is the largest island of the Yasawa Islands, measuring approximately 3 kilometres long by 1 km wide The home of the Tui Yasawa, the Paramount Chief of the Yasawa Islands, is at Yasawa-i-Rara, on Yasawa Island, but the largest village is Nabukeru.

History

The British navigator William Bligh was the first European to sight the Yasawas in 1789, following the mutiny on the HMS Bounty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located 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 For the book about the mutiny by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall see Mutiny on the Bounty (novel. Captain Barber in the HMS Arthur visited the islands in 1794, but they were not charted until 1840, when they were surveyed and charted by a United States expedition commanded by Charles Wilkes. Year 1794 ( MDCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Charles Wilkes ( April 3, 1798 &ndash February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer and explorer.

Throughout the 1800s, Tongan raiders bartered for, and sometimes stole, the sail mats for which the Yasawa Islanders were famous. The Kingdom of Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands 36 of them inhabited stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles The islands were largely ignored by the wider world, however, until World War II, when the United States Military used them as communications outposts. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States

External links

• Backpackers and Billionaires: Article about the Yasawa Group's (and Fiji's) history

• Yasawa Islands at WikiMapia

Yasawa Islands travel guide from Wikitravel

Coordinates: 16°55′S 177°20′E / -16.917, 177.333