Geography

Fiji lies in the heart of the Pacific Ocean midway between the Equator and the South Pole and between the longitudes 174^o East and 178^o West of Greenwich and latitudes 12^o S and 22^o south.

Fiji's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) contains approximately 330 islands of which about a third are inhabited. It covers about 1.3 million square kilometers of the South Pacific Ocean. Fiji's total land area is 18,333 square kilometers. There are two major islands - Viti Levu which is 10,429 square kilometers and Vanua Levu which is 5,535 square kilometers. Other main islands are Taveuni (470 sq km), Kadavu (411 sq km). 87.9% of land is owned by indigenous fijians while 3.9% is State land. Freehold land comprises 7.9% and Rotuman land is 0.3%. The Capital is Suva and it is one of the two cities in Fiji. The other city is Lautoka and both are located on the island of Viti Levu.

The main towns on Vanua Levu are Labasa and Savusavu. Other islands and island groups include Taveuni and Kadavu (the third and fourth largest islands respectively), the Mamanuca Group (just off Nadi) and Yasawa Group, which are popular tourist destinations, the Lomaiviti Group, off Suva, and the remote Lau Group. Rotuma, some 270 nautical miles (500 km; 310 mi) north of the archipelago, has a special administrative status in Fiji, which nearest neighbour is Tonga in the east.