Vanua Levu Island

▪ island, Fiji

      second largest island of Fiji, bordering the Koro Sea in the South Pacific Ocean, 40 miles (64 km) northeast of the island of Viti Levu. Sighted by the Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1643, the volcanic Vanua Levu (“Great Land”) was formerly called Sandalwood Island. It has an area of 2,145 square miles (5,556 square km). The central mountain range, culminating at Nasorolevu (3,386 feet [1,032 metres]), divides the island into wet (southeastern) and dry (northwestern) sections. Natewa Bay, on the east coast, cuts deeply into the island to make a peninsula of its southeastern corner, while the south coast is indented by the broad Savusavu and Wainunu bays.

      The Dreketi (Ndreketi) is one of several streams in the northwest with level valleys where sugarcane is cultivated. Labasa (Lambasa), on the north coast, is the main population and administrative centre and commercial port; Savusavu, on the southeast coast, is the official port of entry. There are airports in both towns and several other airstrips around the island. Vanua Levu exports sugar, rice, citrus fruits, and copra. Copper ore was mined at Udu (Undu) Point in the northeast until the supply was exhausted in the mid-1960s. The population of the area around Labasa comprises many more Indians than Melanesians.

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