Naviti (pronounced ) is a
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
island in the
Yasawa Group
The Yasawa Group is an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands in the Western Division of Fiji, with an approximate total area of .
Geography
The Yasawa volcanic group consists of six main islands and numerous smaller islets. The archip ...
, in the
Western Division 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 ...
. Located at 17.13° South and 177.25° East, Naviti covers an area of , with a maximum elevation of .
The Island is covered in dense tropical dry forests, with an abundance of
mangrove tree
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
s. The island has been planted greatly with coconut
palm tree
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...
s. Naviti has a humid, tropical climate and remains a target for tropical cyclones, the last one being
Cyclone Winston
Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere on record, as well as the strongest to make landfall on record, and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2016. Winston is also the costl ...
in February 2016.
The first known European to visit Naviti was
William Bligh
Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...
in 1789, before
experiencing mutiny on his ship, .
There are several villages based on Naviti Island, including Soso, Kese, Gunu, Somosomo, Marou, Muaira, Malevu, and Nasoqo. Soso is a chiefly village, which is home to the current chief or "
ratu
''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to re ...
". Each village is interconnected by several trails. Naviti Island is also home to the Yasawa High School, the only high school in the Yasawa Islands, although there are kindergartens and primary schools in most villages. The main economic activity is centred on resort hotels, and several of them are found around the island. Naviti Island is also a popular base for
voluntourism
International volunteering is when volunteers contribute their time to work for organisations or causes outside their respective home countries. International volunteering has a long association with international development, with the aim of brin ...
.
File:Palm_trees,_Naviti_island,_Yasawa,_Fiji_(2)_-_August_2016.jpg, Palm trees.
File:Coral_reef,_Naviti_island,_Yasawa,_Fiji_-_August_2016.jpg, Corals at the west coast.
File:Naviti_island,_Yasawa,_Fiji_(5)_-_August_2016.jpg, View from the ridge path in southern Naviti.
File:Tree_on_beach,_Naviti_island,_Yasawa_Islands,_Fiji_-_August_2016.jpg, Beach on the west coast.
File:Stingray, Naviti Island, Fiji - August 2016.jpg, Stingray.
Ba Province
Islands of Fiji
Yasawa Islands
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