Lami () is an urban area in Rewa Province,

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

, north-west of the capital

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

. It was formally incorporated as a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in 1977, and had a population of 20,529 at the most recent

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

in 2007. The municipal boundaries enclose an area of 683 square kilometers. The original itaukei inhabitants of Suva were forced to move to Suvavou ("New Suva") by the British colonial powers in 1882 to make room for the new capital of Suva. Located on the outskirts of Lami is the Bilo Battery, which was a key defense fortification built during World War II to help guard the main passage in the reef leading into Suva. Lami is governed by a

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

of 12 members, elected for three-year terms, who elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

from among themselves. The mayor's term is one year, but may be extended indefinitely. In the last municipal election, held on 22 October 2005, the

Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua The United Fiji Party (, , SDL) was a list of political parties in Fiji, political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister of Fiji, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alli ...

(SDL) won 11 of the 12 seats, ending 20 years of rule by the Ratepayers Association. The new council chose

Tevita Vuatalevu Tevita is the Fijian language, Fijian and Tongan language, Tongan form of the name David (name), David. It may refer to: *Tevita Aholelei, IFBB professional bodybuilder *Tevita Folau (born 1985), professional Australian rugby league player *Tevita ...

as its mayor. Following the military coup of 2006, the dictatorial regime dismissed all local government authorities. Marica Rokovada-Hallacy was appointed Administrator of Lami, as well as the nearby capital city of Suva. In 2010, she was replaced in both capacities by Chandu Umaria, a former Mayor of Suva.

Biology

Cosmophasis lami ''Cosmophasis lami'', also known as the Lami Beach northern jumping spider or tangerine garden jumper, is a species of jumping spider in the genus ''Cosmophasis'', probably Native species, native to South East Asia and some List of islands in the ...

's common name is Lami Beach Northern Jumping Spider.

References

Lami Lami {{Fiji-geo-stub