Vanua Levu

Not to be confused withVanua Lava,an island of Vanuatu.

"Sandalwood Island" redirects here. Not to be confused withSumba,also known as Sandalwood Island.

Vanua Levu(pronounced[βaˈnuaˈleβu],lit. 'Big Land',Hindi:वानुआ लेवु), formerly known asSandalwood Island,is the second largestislandofFiji.Located 64 kilometres (40 miles) to the north of the largerViti Levu,the island has an area of 5,587.1 square kilometres (2,157.2 sq mi) and a population of 135,961 as of 2007.

Vanua Levu

Map of Vanua Levu
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	16°35′S179°11′E
Archipelago	Vanua Levu Group
Area	5,587.1 km2(2,157.2 sq mi)
Length	180 km (112 mi)
Width	50 km (31 mi)
Highest elevation	1,032 m (3386 ft)
Highest point	Mount Nasorolevu
Administration
Fiji
Division	Northern Division
Largest settlement	Labasa(pop. 27,949)
Demographics
Population	160,000 (2022)
Pop. density	23.27/km2(60.27/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Mainly NativeFi gian sandFiji Indians

Geology

Fiji lies in atectonically complex areabetween theAustralian Plateand thePacific Plate.The Fiji Platform lies in a zone bordered with active extension fault lines around which most of the shallow earthquakes were centred. These fault lines are the Fiji Fracture Zone (FFZ) to the north, the176° Extension Zone(176°E EZ) to the west, and the Hunter Fracture Zone (HFZ) andLau Ridgeto the east.

Mio-Pliocenesandstonesandmarlgrade into epiclastics andandesiticvolcanics of the SuvaGroup.The Group forms the Korotini Tableland in the middle of the island, it includes the peaks of Seseleka (1,380 feet or 420 meters), Ndelanathau (2,443 feet or 745 meters), Nararo (2,420 feet or 740 meters), Valili (2,965 feet or 904 meters), Mariko (2,890 feet or 880 meters),Mount Nasorolevu(3,386 feet or 1,032 meters), Ndikeva (3,139 feet or 957 meters), and Uluingala (2,730 feet or 830 meters). The Pliocene Undu Group in the northeastern portion of the island, consists ofbreccia,tuff,and flows ofrhyoliteanddaciteoverlain bypumiceousstrata.The Plio-PleistoceneMba Grouop is found on the southwestern portion of the island and consists ofporphyriticbasalt flows and volcanoclastics grading intogreywacke.The Group includes the peak of Navotuvotu (2,763 feet or 842 meters) and the Mt. Kasi Mine.

Geography

Island of Vanua Levu

Enlargeable, detailed map of Vanua Levu and outlying islands

The main part of the island is roughly shaped like a tall, thin triangle 30 to 50 kilometres (19–31 miles) in width and 180 kilometres (110 miles) in length, rotated so that the point is to the northeast. This point, the northernmost in the Fiji chain, isUdu Point.From the southeastern side of this triangle, a longpeninsulastretches out into theKoro Sea.The island is rough and hilly, and is surrounded by coral reefs, includingCakaulevu Reef,a long barrier reef off the northern shore. Theantimeridianpasses through this island, just touching its northeastern tip.

A rugged mountain range divides the island horizontally, forming much of the boundary between theProvincesofCakaudroveandMacuata.The highest peaks are Mount Batini, also known asNasorolevu,with an elevation of 1,111 metres (3,645 feet), and, 16 kilometres (9.9 miles) further north-east,Dikeva,also known as Mount Thurston, with an elevation of 1,030 metres (3,380 feet). Vanua Levu's main mountain ranges lie near the windward, southern coasts, making them much wetter. Northern Vanua Levu, by contrast, has a dry climate eight months of the year, enablingsugar cane,the island's majorcrop,to thrive there. Vanua Levu has a number of rivers, including theLabasa,theWailevu,and theQawa.These three form adeltaon which the town ofLabasastands. None of the island's rivers are navigable by large vessels. There are also many well known rivers on Vanua levu. The first is the most dangerous, the Wainikoro river, known for its shark attacks. The second is the Dreketi river, the deepest river in Fiji.

Flora and fauna

Main articles:Fiji tropical moist forestsandFiji tropical dry forests

A 17,600 hectares (43,000 acres) area covering much of the interior of the Natewa/Tunuloa peninsula is the Natewa/Tunuloa PeninsulaImportant Bird Area.TheImportant Bird Areacovers the largest tracts of the remainingold-growth foreston the peninsula, which is on the south of Vanua Levu, and supports a population of thevulnerableshy ground doves.

Demographics and economic activities

Ferry and bus at the port of Nabouwalu

The island's main population centres are the towns of Labasa, in the north, andSavusavu,located at the foot of the peninsula. Labasa, with a population of 28,500 at the 2010census,has a large Indian community, and is a major centre of Fiji's sugar industry. Savusavu is smaller, with a population of just under 5,000, but is a popular centre fortouristsowing to itsdivingandyachtingfacilities. The main industry on the island is sugar cane production, especially in the north.Coprais also an important crop. Tourism has also emerged as a significant industry on Vanua Levu.

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 theNorthern Divisionof Fiji. Together with the remoteLau Islands,Vanua Levu and its outliers form theTovata Confederacy,one of three traditional alliances of Fiji's chiefs. The Paramount Chief, who is based on the nearby island ofTaveuni,holds the title ofTui Cakau.Only two population centres -LabasaandSavusavu- have been incorporated asTowns.Each is governed by amayorand aTown Council,whose members are elected for a three-year term and choose the Mayor from among themselves. At present, normative local body governance is in abeyance, and all cities and towns in Fiji are being run temporarily by Special Administrators appointed by the central government.

History

The Gnauna Vinaka Passing the Island of Tavea. Mountains of Vanua-Levu in the distance (June 1853, X, p.67)

Vanua Levu was settled about 3,100 years ago, with the settlers living in houses raised above the reefs on the shores. Between 1250 and 1350, the Pacific sea level fell 30 centimetres (12 in), exposing the tops of the reefs. This killed the abundant sea food, it also dropped the ground water table below the depth of the roots of the crops. The scarcity of food caused conflict and war. In response, the people moved from seaside villages, for mountaintop fortified villages. These forts were occupied until about 1870, with the last clear indication of warfare about 1860.

TheDutchnavigatorAbel Tasmanwas the first knownEuropeanto sight Vanua Levu, in 1643. He was followed byCaptainWilliam Blighin 1789, en route toTimorwhile escaping from theMutiny on the Bounty,in which his crew had forced him and those loyal to him off deck and cast them adrift in a launch. CaptainJames Wilsonsubsequently explored the area in 1797 in his shipDuff.

Traders began exploitingsandalwoodthickets in theBua Bayarea around 1805, which had been discovered by shipwrecked sailors of the schoonerArgo.By 1815, however, the supply had been depleted and apart from the occasional visit fromwhalersandbêche-de-mertraders, the island received little further attention until 1840, when a young sailor known as Jackson deserted his crew atSomosomo,on the nearby island of Taveuni, was adopted by a localChief,and explored much of eastern and northern Vanua Levu.

Settlers fromAustraliaandNew Zealandestablishedcoconutplantations in the Savusavu area in the 1860s. Intermarriage withFi gian peopleproduced a mixed-race elite, which also prospered from the sale of copra, of which Savusavu was a major centre, until theGreat Depressionof the 1930s led to a collapse in the price of copra. In the same period,Indiansfounded the town ofLabasa,now a majorsugar-producing centre.

In March 2012, the country ofKiribatibegan negotiating to buy 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) of the island to house its population, which is expected to need to move as their territory is inundated byrising sea levels.

On December 19, 2020,Cyclone Yasaslammed into the island, killing at least four people and causing millions of dollars in damage. 24,000 people were evacuated from their homes.

Transport

Ferry service byPatterson Brothers Shipping Companyconnects Vanua Levu,Viti LevuandOvalau.

External links

• Biodiversity Conservation in the Delaikoro Mountain Ecosystem, Vanua Levu, Fiji, Rudolf Hahn FAO 2015 youtube video

Vanua Levutravel guide from Wikivoyage