The Lomaiviti (pronounced )
archipelago of
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), 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 ...
consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones. They cover a total area of , and had a population of 15,657 at the most recent
census in 2017.
The largest town, with a population of 1,131 in 2007, is
Levuka, which was Fiji's first modern
town and served as the
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
from 1871 to 1877.
History
The first known European sighting of the Lomaiviti Group was recorded in May 1789 by
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
William Bligh, who was on his epic voyage in a
lifeboat to
Timor having been cast adrift by his crew in the
Mutiny on the ''Bounty''. He revisited the area in 1792 in to complete his survey of the area.
The islands of
Koro Koro may refer to:
Geography
*Koro Island, a Fijian island
*Koro Sea, in the Pacific Ocean
*Koro, Ivory Coast
*Koro, Mali
*Koro, Wisconsin, United States, an unincorporated community
Languages
*Koro language (India), an endangered language spoken ...
,
Batiki, and
Gau
Gau or GAU may refer to:
People
* Gaugericus (–626), Bishop of Cambrai
* Gau Ming-Ho (born 1949), Chinese mountaineer
* Franz Christian Gau (1790–1854), German architect and archaeologist
* James Gau (born 1957), Papua New Guinean politi ...
were seized by the
United States Navy in 1867 as security for a long-standing debt owed to the
United States consul John Brown Williams by
Seru Epenisa Cakobau
Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (; occasionally spelled ''Cacobau'' or phonetically ''Thakombau'') (c.1815 – 1 February 1883) was a Fijian Ratu and warlord ('' Vunivalu'') who united part of Fiji's warring tribes under his leadership, establishing ...
, the ''
Vunivalu (Paramount Chief)'' of
Bau Island who claimed to be King of Fiji. This debt was one of the factors contributing to Cakobau's decision to cede Fiji to the
United Kingdom in 1874, just three years after achieving his decades-long dream of uniting Fiji's myriad islands and tribes under his authority.
Politics
Lomaiviti comprises one of the fourteen
provinces of Fiji, called
Lomaiviti Province.
Notable Lomaivitians
Well-known natives of Lomaiviti include Mosese Qionibaravi CMG (10 September 1938 – 22 September 1987) was a civil servant and politician. He served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1973 until his death, also holding the offices of Speaker of the House, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Finance, and Deputy Prime Minister.
Simione Kaitani, a former
Minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
(2001–2006) in the government of
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and, as of June 2006, the manager of government business in the
House of Representatives as
Leader of the House. Former Deputy Prime Minister
Taufa Vakatale Mereia Taufa Vakatale, O.F. (born 1938) is a Fijian former politician and educator. She served in the Cabinet of Fiji under the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT) during 1993–1995 and 1997–1999. In 1997, she became Fiji's first female Deput ...
and the well-known
Minister for Home Affairs,
Josefa Vosanibola, is also from Lomaiviti.
See also
*
List of islands
References
External links
Lomaiviti Province
Archipelagoes of Fiji
Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean
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