Fiji Islands

This upside-down U-shaped archipelago encloses the Koro Sea, which is relatively shallow and sprinkled with the Lomaiviti, or central Fiji, insular group. Together the Fiji Islands are scattered over 1,290,000 square km of the South Pacific Ocean.

If every single one was counted, the isles of the Fiji archipelago would number in the thousands. However, a mere 322 are judged large enough for human habitation and of these only 106 are inhabited. That leaves 216 uninhabited islands, most of them prohibitively isolated or lacking fresh water.

The wetter sides of the high islands are heavily forested, with occasional thickets of bamboo and scrub. Natural forests cover 40% of Fiji's total land area and about a quarter of these forests are classified as production forest suitable for logging. Coconut groves fill the coastal plains. On the drier sides open savanna or talasiga of coarse grasses predominates where the original vegetation has been destroyed by slash-and-burn agriculture. Sugarcane is now cultivated in the lowlands here, and Caribbean pine has been planted in many dry hilly areas, giving them a Scandinavian appearance. Mangroves can occasionally be found along some high island coastal lagoons.

The two largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, together account for 87% of Fiji's 18,272 square km of land. Viti Levu has 50% of the land area and 75% of the people, while Vanua Levu, with 30% of the land, has 18% of the population. (View a detailed map of Fiji.)

Of the 70 species of land birds, 22 are endemic. The Fijian names of some of these birds, such as the kaka (parrot), ga (gray duck), and kikau (giant honey eater), imitate their calls. Red and green kula lorikeets are often seen in populated areas collecting nectar and pollen from flowering trees or feeding on fruit. The only native mammals are the monkey-faced fruit bat or flying fox, called beka by the Fijians, and the smaller, insect-eating bat. Some Fijian clans have totemic relationships with eels, prawns, turtles, and sharks, and are able to summon these creatures with special chants. Three of the world's seven species of sea turtles nest in Fiji: the green, hawksbill, and leatherback. Nesting occurs between November and February, at night when there is a full moon and a high tide.