Vanua Balavu
 Location in the Lau Group | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Fiji |
| Coordinates | 17°14′S178°57′W/ 17.233°S 178.950°W |
| Archipelago | Northern Lau Islands |
| Adjacent to | Koro Sea |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Major islands | 1 |
| Area | 57 km2(22 sq mi)[1] |
| Length | 21 km (13 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 283 m (928 ft) |
| Administration | |
Fiji | |
| Division | Eastern |
| Province | Lau Province |
| Sub-Province | Northern Lau Islands |
| Largest settlement | Lomaloma(pop. 250) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1200 (2014) |
| Pop. density | 21.05/km2(54.52/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Native Fi gian s, Indo-Fi gian s;other (Asian,Europeans,otherPacific Islander) |
Vanua Balavu(pronounced[βaˈnuambaˈlaβu]) is the third largest island inFiji'sLauarchipelago,and the main island of the Northern Lau Group.
Geography and infrastructure[edit]
Thiscoralandvolcanicisland has a land area of 53 square kilometres (20 square miles). Its maximum elevation is 283 metres (928 feet). The island is characterized by steep undercut cliffs with fertile volcanic soil. It is well watered and has hot springs. There is an extensivereefsystem, including the islets ofQilaqilaalso known asthe Bay of Islands.Thetraditional ownersof Qilaqila are theiTaukei,themataqalis'from Mavana Village. All visitors to Qilaqila must dosevusevuand have received permission from the village elders of Daliconi Village to visit.
The main village on the island isLomaloma.Vanua Balavu has an airstrip, a post office in Lomalomacopraport, and a small hospital. There was also the Lomaloma Copra Biofuel Project which provided power to three villages, Naqara, Sawana and Lomaloma, however, it is now defunct.
Points of interest[edit]
A largesea cave,named Qaranilaca, on the southeastern tip of Vanua Balavu was excavated in 2000 and shown to have been used by humans more than 10 centuries ago.[2]
Notable people[edit]
A notable person from Vanua Balavu isLaisenia Qarase,Fiji'sPrime Ministerfrom 2000 to 2006, who hails from the village of Mavana. Other prominent Vanua Balavu natives are the academic leaderEsther Williams,fromLevukanavillage, formerAttorney-GeneralQoriniasi Bale,fromLevukanavillage, and prominent former politicianFilipe Bole,also from Mualevu village.Charles Walker,a former politician and Fiji diplomat hails fromSawanavillage with Lavinia Wainiqolo Padarath; a staunch trade unionist and former politician, Walker served as a Minister for Women and Social Welfare under the Fiji Labour Party election win in 1999.
Mere Samisoni,businesswoman and politician, comes from the village ofLomaloma,as does the formerLamiMayorTevita Vuatalevu,who hails from the village ofMavana.Current Flying Fi gian s Josh Matavesi and Sam Matavesi who were born and raised in Cornwall, England are also a native of Vanua Balavu through their paternal line.
References[edit]
- ^Gillespie, Rosemary G.; D. A. Clague (2009).Encyclopedia of Islands.University of California Press. p. 299.ISBN978-0520256491.Retrieved18 March2014.
- ^Thomas, Frank R.; Nunn, Patrick D.; Osborne, Tamara; Kumar, Roselyn; Areki, Francis; Matararaba, Sepeti; Steadman, David; Hope, Geoff (April 2004)."Recent archaeological findings at Qaranilaca Cave, Vanuabalavu Island, Fiji".Archaeology in Oceania.39(1): 42–49.doi:10.1002/j.1834-4453.2004.tb00556.x.Retrieved23 July2023.
- Fiji,By Korina Miller, Robyn Jones, Leonardo Pinheiro, Published by Lonely Planet - Page 237
External links[edit]
- Reference to theGeography of VanuabalavuArchived2015-03-03 at theWayback Machine
- Lomaloma Bio Fuel Project
- Moana's Guest House, Vanua Balavu
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