Rakiraki () is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

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 ...

Ra Province Ra is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji. Occupying the northern area of Viti Levu, the largest island, it is one of eight Viti Levu-based Provinces. With a land area of 1341 square kilometers, it had a population of 30,432 at the 2017 census. ...

. It is located between Tavua and

Korovou Korovou (; literally "New Village") is a village in the Fijian Tailevu Province, 31 km from Nausori. It is considered the centre of Fiji's dairy industry, which was established at the end of the First World War by British settlers, on land dona ...

when travelling along the Kings Road, on the northern coast 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 P ...

, Fiji's largest island. At the 1996 census, the Rakiraki district had a population of 29,137, with 15,325 in the smaller Rakiraki sub-district. Of these, 3361 lived in

Vaileka Vaileka commonly known as Rakiraki town is an urban centre in Fiji, in the Rakiraki region of Ra Province. It had a population of 3,361 at the 1996 census, the last to date. It is not officially a "town," however: that term is legally reserved ...

, Rakiraki's principal urban centre. 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 4 October 2006 that Uraia Waqa, Chairman of the

Rakiraki Local Government Authority Rakiraki () is a district in Fiji's Ra Province. It is located between Tavua and Korovou when travelling along the Kings Road, on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. At the 1996 census, the Rakiraki district had a population ...

, had called for Vaileka to be officially incorporated as a Town in order to attract government investment. Local Government and Urban Development Minister

Chaitanya Lakshman Chaitanya Lakshman (born in 1968) is a Indians in Fiji, Fiji Indian lawyer, social worker and politician who served in the multi-party cabinet of the Laisenia Qarase, Qarase Government as Minister for Local Government. Lakshman was elected from t ...

was reported to be sympathetic to the proposal. The main township is Rakiraki town locally known as Vaileka.

Rakiraki is an area often said to portray Fijian patriotism. Many noted Fijian politicians have originated from this area, such as

Sidiq Koya Siddiq Moidin Koya (29 February 1924 – 25 April 1993) was a Indians in Fiji, Fijian Indian politician, Statesman and Leader of the Opposition (Fiji), Opposition leader. He succeeded to the leadership of the mostly Indians in Fiji, Indo-Fij ...

, who fought for Fijian workers' rights. Others include Tomasi Vuetilovoni,

Meli Bolobolo Ratu Meli Bolobolo (died 16 February 2015) was a Fijian chief and academic, who lectured at the Fiji Institute of Technology. Career Bolobolo was installed on 30 September 2005 as the third in his family from the Uluda Household within the ...

Joji Banuve Joji Natadra Banuve (1940 – 17 June 2009) was a Fijian politician, who served in the Cabinet as Assistant Minister for Local Government, Housing, Squatter Settlement, and the Environment. In the aforementioned roles, he assisted Colonel Pio ...

, Subas Chand, Devi Prasad, Dhiren Prasad lawyer and George Shiu Raj. Traditional Fijian villages in the Rakiraki district are Namuaimada, Navolau Number 1, Navolau Number 2, Navutulevu, Navuavua, Malake & Nakorokula.

Landmarks

Prominent landmarks include Navatu Rock, in Vitawa village, believed to be one of Fiji's oldest human settlements. Pottery excavated at the base of the rock has been dated to around 1000BC. About 1.5 kilometers offshore lies the island of Nananu-i-Ra. Fijian mythology holds that this island is the disembodied spirits' point of departure from this world to the afterlife. A village once crowned the peak of this island. The tomb of

Ratu Udre Udre Ratu Udre Udre (pronounced , ; died 1840) was a Fijian chief. He is listed by ''Guinness World Records'' as "most prolific cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a commo ...

, a famous 19th century

cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

who reportedly consumed more than 800 of his victims, is close to the township of Vaileka. The renowned Nakauvadra Range which is associated with Fijian mythology is visible from anywhere in the Rakiraki district. It is also the main contributing factor to the dry conditions that prevail throughout much of the year in the Rakiraki region.

Economic activities

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

are the mainstays of the Rakiraki economy. The

Fiji Sugar Corporation Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) is the government-owned sugar milling company in Fiji having monopoly on production of raw sugar in Fiji. It is also the largest public enterprise in the country employing nearly 3,000 people, while another 200,000 o ...

operates the Penang Sugar Mill on the

Penang River This is a list of the rivers of Fiji. They are listed by island in clockwise order, starting at the north end of each island. Tributaries are listed under the parent stream. Gau * Wailevu River (Gau) Ovalau * Lovoni River Taveuni * Somoso ...

, one kilometer north-east of Vaileka.

Sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

is grown in the valleys, while

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

are raised in the highlands. Root crops, including yaqona (kava) are also cultivated. Fiji water is bottled 20kilometres west of the main town of Rakiraki. Navatu Rock

References

Rakiraki District Rakiraki () is a district in Fiji's Ra Province. It is located between Tavua and Korovou when travelling along the Kings Road, on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. At the 1996 census, the Rakiraki district had a populatio ...

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