Viti Levu (pronounced [ˈβitʃi ˈleβu]; lit.'Great Fiji') is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.
Viti Levu विटी लेव
Map of Fiji showing Viti Levu (one of its major islands)
Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate. The Fiji Platform lies in a zone bordered by active extension fault lines, around which most of the shallow earthquakes in the area have been centred. These fault lines are: the Fiji Fracture Zone (FFZ) to the north; the 176° Extension Zone (176°E EZ) to the west; and the Hunter Fracture Zone (HFZ) and Lau Ridge to the east.[1]
The oldest rocks on the island are those formed during the Eocene and Lower Miocene epochs that belong to the Wainimala group. The lower portion of the group is made up of volcanic flows and volcanoclastics, which grade from basalt to trachyte and rhyolite. Geographically, this group is found south of Nadi, including on the peaks of Koromba (at 3528 feet high) and Natambumgguto (at 1242 feet high), and down to Sigatoka. From Sigatoka, the group extends almost all the way to Lodoni, and includes the peaks of Tuvutau (at 3060 feet) and Tikituru (at 3071 feet). Along the southern coast it extends almost to Nausori. The group is intruded by the Tholo Plutonics, which consist of similar-age stocks of tonalite, granodiorite, gabbro and diorite. Mio-Pliocenesandstones, and marl, grading into epiclastics and andesitic Volcanic rocks of the Suva group are found mainly in the river valleys, such as those formed by the Nadi River and Navua River. The Plio-Pleistocene Mba group is found in the northern portion of the island. It consists of porphyritic basalt flows and volcanoclastics, grading into greywacke. Geographically, it includes the peaks of Koroyanitu (at 3921 feet), Malua (at 3294 feet), Monavatu (at 3708 feet), Mount Tomanivi (at 4341 feet), and Ndelamendamu (at 2540 feet). It extends along the eastern coast, almost to Nausori, and includes the Emperor Mine near Vatukoula.[2][3]
Geography, economy and ecologyEdit
Topography of Viti Levu island.Enlargeable, detailed map of Viti Levu and some neighbouring islands.
Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji — home to 70% of the population (about 600,000 people) — and is the hub of the entire Fijian archipelago. It measures 146 kilometres (91 mi) long and 106 kilometres (66 mi) wide, and has an area of 10,389 square kilometres (4,011 sq mi). Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions account for the somewhat rugged terrain of the island, which is divided into roughly equal halves by a mountain range that runs north to south. The centre of the island is forested and includes the nation's highest peak Mount Tomanivi (otherwise known as Mount Victoria), which rises to 1,324 metres (4,344 ft).
The eastern side of the island experiences heavy rainfall, particularly in the mountains, and is home to Fiji’s tropical moist forests. The western side (colloquially called the "burning west") is in the mountain range's rain shadow and is noticeably drier; it is home to Fiji’s tropical dry forests. Accordingly, sugar cane production thrives in the west, while a dairy industry is being developed in the east.[citation needed] Fiji's largest cattle ranch, with 7000 head of cattle on 70 square kilometres (17,000 acres), is in Yaqara, midway between Tavua and Rakiraki. The island of Viti Levu is the only known home of one of the world's largest insects, the Giant Fijian long-horned beetle.
The island is susceptible to the effects of climate change. It is estimated that the compound effects of sea level rise and storm surge may result in a temporary relocation of a relatively high numbers of the inhabitants of Viti Levu, predominantly the northern and western parts, with an exposure of up to 6.75% of the islands' population in the future.[4]
LocalitiesEdit
Korotogo beach, Coral Coast.The highland village of Navala.
Viti Levu is home to the capital city of Suva, and to nearly three quarters of the population of the Republic of Fiji (about 580,000 people). Other important towns and cities, which are spread out all along the coast, include Ba, Lautoka, Nadi, Nausori, Rakiraki, and Sigatoka. Two other well-known localities are Natadola Beach in Natadola (a luxurious Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa & boutique accommodation at Natadola Beach Resort & Yatule Beach Resort ), and Pacific Harbour (a resort centre about 50 kilometers from Suva). A single major road runs around the perimeter of Viti Levu.
PoliticsEdit
Eight of Fiji's fourteen Provinces are in Viti Levu. The Provinces of Ba, Nadroga-Navosa, and Ra comprise the Western Division, while Naitasiri, Namosi, Rewa, Serua, and Tailevu form the Central Division. The political dynamics of western Viti Levu are somewhat different from those of eastern Viti Levu, in part because western Vitu Levu has a high concentration of Indo-Fijians (many of whose ancestors came to the island from India as indentured workers between 1879 and 1916), whereas eastern Viti Levu has a high concentration of indigenous Fijians (except in its urban areas, which are more racially diverse).
HistoryEdit
PrehistoryEdit
Viti Levu is believed to have been inhabited longer than the island of Vanua Levu, which lies to its north. According to oral tradition, the first Melanesian settlers landed at Vuda Point and established Viseisei as Fiji's first oldest settlement. There is archaeological evidence contradicting this account.
^Greenbaum, D.; Bowker, M. R; Dau, I; Drospy, H; Greally, K. B; McDonald A. J. W; Marsh, S. H; Northmore, K. J; O'Connor, E. A; Prasad, R. S & Tragheim, D. G. (1995). "Landslide hazards in Fiji" (PDF). Technical Report WC/95/28 Rapid methods of landslide hazard mapping : Fiji case study. British Geological Survey. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
^Provisional Geologic Map of Fiji. Suva: Fiji Geological Survey. 1965.
^Rodda, P. (1967). "Outline of the geology of Viti Levu". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. 10 (5): 1260–1273. doi:10.1080/00288306.1967.10420217.
^Sabūnas, Audrius; Mori, Nobuhito; Shimura, Tomoya; Fukui, Nobuki; Miyashita, Takuya (8 April 2022). "Estimating Compounding Storm Surge and Sea Level Rise Effects and Bias Correction Impact when Projecting Future Impact on Volcanic Islands in Oceania. Case Study of Viti Levu, Fiji". Frontiers in Built Environment. 8. doi:10.3389/fbuil.2022.796471.
External linksEdit
Media related to Viti Levu at Wikimedia Commons
Viti Levu travel guide from Wikivoyage
August 28, 2023
viti, levu, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, 2016. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Viti Levu news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Viti Levu pronounced ˈbitʃi ˈlebu lit Great Fiji is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji It is the site of the nation s capital Suva and home to a large majority of Fiji s population Viti Levuव ट ल वMap of Fiji showing Viti Levu one of its major islands GeographyLocationPacific OceanCoordinates17 48 S 178 0 E 17 800 S 178 000 E 17 800 178 000ArchipelagoViti Levu GroupArea10 388 km2 4 011 sq mi Area rank75thLength146 km 90 7 mi Width106 km 65 9 mi Highest elevation1 324 m 4344 ft Highest pointTomaniviAdministrationFijiDivisionWestern Division and Central DivisionLargest settlementSuva pop 93 970 DemographicsPopulation740 000 2022 Pop density55 83 km2 144 6 sq mi Ethnic groupsNative Fijians 54 3 Indo Fijians 38 1 other Asian Europeans other Pacific Islander 7 6 Contents 1 Geology 2 Geography economy and ecology 3 Localities 4 Politics 5 History 5 1 Prehistory 6 Transportation 7 References 8 External linksGeology EditFiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate The Fiji Platform lies in a zone bordered by active extension fault lines around which most of the shallow earthquakes in the area have been centred These fault lines are the Fiji Fracture Zone FFZ to the north the 176 Extension Zone 176 E EZ to the west and the Hunter Fracture Zone HFZ and Lau Ridge to the east 1 The oldest rocks on the island are those formed during the Eocene and Lower Miocene epochs that belong to the Wainimala group The lower portion of the group is made up of volcanic flows and volcanoclastics which grade from basalt to trachyte and rhyolite Geographically this group is found south of Nadi including on the peaks of Koromba at 3528 feet high and Natambumgguto at 1242 feet high and down to Sigatoka From Sigatoka the group extends almost all the way to Lodoni and includes the peaks of Tuvutau at 3060 feet and Tikituru at 3071 feet Along the southern coast it extends almost to Nausori The group is intruded by the Tholo Plutonics which consist of similar age stocks of tonalite granodiorite gabbro and diorite Mio Pliocene sandstones and marl grading into epiclastics and andesitic Volcanic rocks of the Suva group are found mainly in the river valleys such as those formed by the Nadi River and Navua River The Plio Pleistocene Mba group is found in the northern portion of the island It consists of porphyritic basalt flows and volcanoclastics grading into greywacke Geographically it includes the peaks of Koroyanitu at 3921 feet Malua at 3294 feet Monavatu at 3708 feet Mount Tomanivi at 4341 feet and Ndelamendamu at 2540 feet It extends along the eastern coast almost to Nausori and includes the Emperor Mine near Vatukoula 2 3 Geography economy and ecology Edit Topography of Viti Levu island Enlargeable detailed map of Viti Levu and some neighbouring islands Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji home to 70 of the population about 600 000 people and is the hub of the entire Fijian archipelago It measures 146 kilometres 91 mi long and 106 kilometres 66 mi wide and has an area of 10 389 square kilometres 4 011 sq mi Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions account for the somewhat rugged terrain of the island which is divided into roughly equal halves by a mountain range that runs north to south The centre of the island is forested and includes the nation s highest peak Mount Tomanivi otherwise known as Mount Victoria which rises to 1 324 metres 4 344 ft The eastern side of the island experiences heavy rainfall particularly in the mountains and is home to Fiji s tropical moist forests The western side colloquially called the burning west is in the mountain range s rain shadow and is noticeably drier it is home to Fiji s tropical dry forests Accordingly sugar cane production thrives in the west while a dairy industry is being developed in the east citation needed Fiji s largest cattle ranch with 7000 head of cattle on 70 square kilometres 17 000 acres is in Yaqara midway between Tavua and Rakiraki The island of Viti Levu is the only known home of one of the world s largest insects the Giant Fijian long horned beetle The island is susceptible to the effects of climate change It is estimated that the compound effects of sea level rise and storm surge may result in a temporary relocation of a relatively high numbers of the inhabitants of Viti Levu predominantly the northern and western parts with an exposure of up to 6 75 of the islands population in the future 4 Localities Edit Korotogo beach Coral Coast The highland village of Navala Viti Levu is home to the capital city of Suva and to nearly three quarters of the population of the Republic of Fiji about 580 000 people Other important towns and cities which are spread out all along the coast include Ba Lautoka Nadi Nausori Rakiraki and Sigatoka Two other well known localities are Natadola Beach in Natadola a luxurious Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa amp boutique accommodation at Natadola Beach Resort amp Yatule Beach Resort and Pacific Harbour a resort centre about 50 kilometers from Suva A single major road runs around the perimeter of Viti Levu Politics EditEight of Fiji s fourteen Provinces are in Viti Levu The Provinces of Ba Nadroga Navosa and Ra comprise the Western Division while Naitasiri Namosi Rewa Serua and Tailevu form the Central Division The political dynamics of western Viti Levu are somewhat different from those of eastern Viti Levu in part because western Vitu Levu has a high concentration of Indo Fijians many of whose ancestors came to the island from India as indentured workers between 1879 and 1916 whereas eastern Viti Levu has a high concentration of indigenous Fijians except in its urban areas which are more racially diverse History EditPrehistory Edit Viti Levu is believed to have been inhabited longer than the island of Vanua Levu which lies to its north According to oral tradition the first Melanesian settlers landed at Vuda Point and established Viseisei as Fiji s first oldest settlement There is archaeological evidence contradicting this account Transportation EditFerry service provided by the Patterson Brothers Shipping Company LTD connects Viti Levu to the rest of the islands Nausori International Airport is on the main island It has service on 3 domestic commercial passenger airlines References Edit Greenbaum D Bowker M R Dau I Drospy H Greally K B McDonald A J W Marsh S H Northmore K J O Connor E A Prasad R S amp Tragheim D G 1995 Landslide hazards in Fiji PDF Technical Report WC 95 28 Rapid methods of landslide hazard mapping Fiji case study British Geological Survey Retrieved 23 March 2011 Provisional Geologic Map of Fiji Suva Fiji Geological Survey 1965 Rodda P 1967 Outline of the geology of Viti Levu New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 10 5 1260 1273 doi 10 1080 00288306 1967 10420217 Sabunas Audrius Mori Nobuhito Shimura Tomoya Fukui Nobuki Miyashita Takuya 8 April 2022 Estimating Compounding Storm Surge and Sea Level Rise Effects and Bias Correction Impact when Projecting Future Impact on Volcanic Islands in Oceania Case Study of Viti Levu Fiji Frontiers in Built Environment 8 doi 10 3389 fbuil 2022 796471 External links Edit Media related to Viti Levu at Wikimedia Commons Viti Levu travel guide from Wikivoyage Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Viti Levu amp oldid 1171714338, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
