Beqa (pronounced ) is an island in Fiji, an outlier to the main island of

Viti Levu Viti Levu (pronounced ) 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. Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian ...

, to the south. The island has a land area of and reaches a maximum

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

of . Beqa has 9 villages broken into 2 Tikinas or Districts:

Sawau The Sawau () tribe in Fiji is made of 6 villages on the island of Beqa, to the south of Viti Levu, but the District is only made up of 5 villages. They are as follows: *Dakuibeqa (Chiefly Village –Tui Sawau), *Dakuni, *Soliyaga, *Naceva, *Na ...

and Raviravi. The villages of Dakuibeqa (the chiefly village of the Sawau people), Dakuni, Soliyaga, Naceva and Naseuseu are part of the Tikina (District) of

. The villages of Nawaisomo, Raviravi, Lalati and Rukua are part of the Tikina (District) of Raviravi.

Tradition

Of the 9 villages on the island, Dakuibeqa Dakuni, Soliyaga, Naceva and Rukua are noted for the tradition of

fire-walking Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones. It has been practiced by many people and cultures in many parts of the world, with the earliest known reference dating from Iron Age India . It is often used as a rit ...

. The phenomenon was examined in 1902 when it was already a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

, with a "Probable Explanation of the Mystery" arrived at. Vilavilairevo Beqa firewalkers

Energy

The ''

Fiji Times ''The Fiji Times'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869 by George Littleton Griffiths, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating. ''The Fiji Times'' is owned by Motibhai G ...

'' reported on 25 February 2006 that over 3000 inhabitants of six villages and five resorts were exploring ways to find a reliable source of power for Beqa.

Wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...

and

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

were being considered, as was a cable across

Beqa Strait Beqa (pronounced ) is an island in Fiji, an outlier to the main island of Viti Levu, to the south. The island has a land area of and reaches a maximum elevation of . Beqa has 9 villages broken into 2 Tikinas or Districts: Sawau and Raviravi. ...

from the mainland.

Economy

Beqa's main source of income is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

; it has 4 resorts: Lawaki Beach House, Beqa Lagoon Resort (formerly Marlin Bay Resort), Kulu Bay Resort, Lalati Resort. Additionally, Royal Davui Resort is located on an Islet off Beqa, Steward Island. No other resorts are planned for Beqa. There is some small scale farming ventures and with improved infrastructure this could be expanded and become a larger revenue earner for the various villages of Beqa. Beqa has developed a name for off season

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es, due to the unique climate Beqa has which allows tomatoes to be planted year round. Beqa Lagoon - Fiji

Notable people

Sainimili Naivalu Sainimili Naivalu (1986–2019) was a paralympic athlete and disability activist from Fiji. She represented Fiji in international wheelchair table tennis competitions and was awarded gold and silver medals. Biography Naivalu was born in 1986 ...

, wheelchair table tennis medalist and disability rights activist. *

Elina Nasaudrodro Elina Vavailagi Nasaudrodro (born December 22, 1985, in Suva) is a Fijian judoka who competed in the women's lightweight category. She won a bronze medal in the 57-kg division at the 2004 Oceania Judo Championships in Noumea, New Caledonia ...

, Fijian international judōka, originally from Dakuni village

References

Islands of Fiji Viti Levu {{Fiji-geo-stub

Tradition

Energy

Economy

Notable people

See also

References