Ogea Levu (pronounced ) is a

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

island on a barrier reef in

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 ...

's Southern

Lau Lau or LAU may refer to: People * Lau (surname) * Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien * Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab * LAU (musician): Laura Fares Places * Lebane ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

. With an area of , it is situated at 19.18° South and 178.47° West, east of

Fulaga Fulaga (pronounced ) (proper name: Vulaga) is a crescent-shaped reef-limestone island in Fiji's Southern Lau Group. The spectacular lagoon and the fact that the island is a ''Pritchardia thurstonii ''Pritchardia thurstonii'' is a species of fl ...

. It has a maximum

altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

of . A area covering both Ogea Levu and nearby

Ogea Driki Ogea Driki (pronounced ) is a coral atoll covering approximately in Fiji's Southern Lau Group. It is south of Ogea Levu and east of Fulaga. A area covering both Ogea Driki and Ogea Levu is the Ogea Important Bird Area. The Important Bird ...

is the Ogea

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

. The

covers the entire range of the

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

Ogea monarch The Ogea monarch or versicolored monarch (''Mayrornis versicolor'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to two islands, Ogea Driki and Ogea Levu, in the Lau Group of south eastern Fiji. Its natural habitat is subtr ...

. The makatea forest and Ogea monarch habitat of the island contribute to its national significance as outlined in Fiji's Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. The people of Ogea are known for their happy and carefree approach to life, and love laughter and merry-making wherever they are gathered. They work hard in their daily lives, mainly in planting root crops, and fishing in their rich fishing grounds around both their islands which are surrounded by magnificent

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

s and

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

s. The chief of Ogea is traditionally known as the Matua Tabu i Tui Nayau, Tui Ogea (Sacred Elder of the Tui Nayau, the Tui Ogea).

References

Islands of Fiji Lau Islands Preliminary Register of Sites of National Significance in Fiji Important Bird Areas of Fiji {{Fiji-geo-stub