Geography of Fiji

Fijiis anOceanianarchipelago ofvolcanic islandswith two main islands in the SouthPacific, lying about 1,770 km (1,100 mi) north ofNew Zealandand 4,450 kilometres (2,765 mi) southwest ofHonolulu. Of the 332 islands and 522 smaller islets making up thearchipelago, about 106 are permanently inhabited.The total land size is 18,272 km(7,055 sq mi). It has the 26th largestExclusive Economic Zoneof 1,282,978 km(495,361 sq mi).
Viti Levu, the largest island, covers about 57% of the nation's land area, hosts the two officialcities(thecapitalSuva, andLautoka) and most other major towns, such as Nausori, Vaileka,Ba, Tavua, Kororvou,Nasinu, andNadi(the site of the international airport), and contains some 69% of the population.Vanua Levu, 64 km (40 mi) to the northeast of Viti Levu, covers just over 30% of the land area though is home to only some 15% of the population.  Its main towns areLabasaandSavusavu. In the northeast it features Natewa Bay, carving out theLoapeninsula.
Both islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1,300 m (4,300 ft) rising abruptly from the shore, and covered withtropical forests. Heavy rains (up to 304 cm or 120 inches annually) fall on the windward (southeastern) side, covering these sections of the islands with dense tropical forest.Lowlandson the western portions of each of the main islands are sheltered by the mountains and have a well-markeddry seasonfavorable to crops such assugarcane.
Other islands and island groups, which cover just 12.5% of the land area and house some 16% of the population, includeTaveunisoutheast offVanua LevuandKadavu Island, south offViti Levu(the third and fourth largest islands respectively), theMamanuca Group(just offNadi) andYasawa Group(to the north of the Mamanucas), which are populartouristdestinations, theLomaiviti Group(just off Suva) withLevuka, the former capital and the only major town on any of the smaller islands, located on the island ofOvalau, and the remoteLau Groupover theKoro Seato the east near Tonga, from which it is separated by the Lakeba Passage.
Two outlying regions areRotuma, 400 km (250 mi) to the north, and the uninhabited coral atoll andcayCeva-i-Raor Conway Reef, 450 km (280 mi) to the southwest of main Fiji. Culturally conservative Rotuma with its 2,000 people on 44 km(17 sq mi)geographicallybelongs toPolynesia, and enjoys relative autonomy as a Fijiandependency.
Fiji Televisionreported on 21 September 2006 that the Fiji Islands Maritime and Safety Administration (FIMSA), while reviewing its outdated maritime charts, had discovered the possibility that more islands could lie within Fiji'sExclusive Economic Zone.
More than half of Fiji's population lives on the island coasts, either in Suva or in smaller urban centers. The interior is sparsely populated because of its rough terrain.
Fiji has atropical rainforest climateand atropical monsoon climate(Af and Am according to theKöppen climate classification). Suva, the capital city, receives more rainfall thanNadior the other side ofViti Levu. El Niño and La Niña events have significant impacts on rainfall.Tropical cyclones can impact Fiji and in some cases they can cause severe damage and many deaths.In 2016,Cyclone Winstoncaused widespread destruction and affected hundreds of thousands of people after striking Fiji.A few years later,Cyclone Haroldalso caused widespread damage.
Climate change in Fijiis an exceptionally pressing issue for the country – as an island nation, Fiji is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels,coastal erosionandextreme weather.These changes, along with temperature rise, will displace Fijian communities and will prove disruptive to the national economy – tourism, agriculture and fisheries, the largest contributors to the nation's GDP, will be severely impacted by climate change causing increases in poverty and food insecurity.As a party to both theKyoto Protocoland theParis Climate Agreement, Fiji hopes to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 which, along with national policies, will help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Fiji is located on the northeast corner of theIndo-Australian platenear where itsubductsunder thePacific plateon theNorth Fiji Basinmicroplate between theNorth Fiji Fracture Zoneon the north and theHunter fracture zoneon the south. It is part of theRing of Fire, the string of volcanoes around the boundary of the Pacific Ocean.
This is a list of the extreme points ofFiji, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
Fijihas more than three hundredislands, four of which are of a significant size. From largest to smallest, these four islands areViti Levu,Vanua Levu,Kadavu Island, andTaveuni Island. The Fiji islands are home to numerous indigenousfloraandfauna. These include:
Fiji once hosted several now-extinct Pleistocene and Holocene species, including a largecrocodilianof the genusVolia, which was likely the apex predator of its environment. Other notable extinct species includeLapitiguana impensa, a giant iguana, as well as the flightlessViti Levu giant pigeon.
This article incorporatespublic domain materialfromThe World Factbook.CIA.