Beach Street, Levuka, Fiji

Levuka is a town on the south-east coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji, of which it is the capital. At the census in 1996, the last to date, Levuka had a population of 3,745, more than a third of Ovalau's total. It is the economic hub and the largest of 24 settlements on the island. Levuka and the island of Ovalau are seeking recognition from UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Image File history File links Beach_street_levuka_war_memorial. ... Image File history File links Beach_street_levuka_war_memorial. ... Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. ... Ovalau (IPA: []) is the largest island in Fijis Lomaiviti archipelago. ... The Lomaiviti archipelago of Fiji consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones. ... The Eastern Division of Fiji is one of Fijis four divisions. ... 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ...

Landmarks

At the northern end of Levuka is the traditional Fijian village of Levuka. The village chief, who bears the title of Tui Levuka, is a direct descendant of the chief who welcomed the first European settlers. In memory of his ancestor, he is also known as "Tamana na vavalagi" (Father of the Europeans). At the southern end of the town lies the village of Nasova, where the King Seru Epenisa Cakobau signed the Deed of Cession, ceding the islands to the United Kingdom on 10 October 1874. Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (1815-1883) was King of Fiji from 8 December 1852 to 10 October 1874, when he ceded his country to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The Levuka Community Centre, which houses a branch of the Fiji Museum, a public library, crafts centre, kindergarten, squash court and meeting hall, occupies a renovated store built in 1878 by Morris Hedstrom & Co., a trading company established in Levuka's early days and still in business in Fiji. Morris Hedstrom gave the building to the National Trust of Fiji in 1980. Adjacent to the Levuka Community Centre stands Queens Wharf, with a maximum depth of eight meters. Upgraded in the 1990s, it is used mostly by local craft, though foreign vessels sometimes dock, Levuka being one of three official ports of entry to Fiji (Suva and Lautoka being the other two). 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The National Trust of Fiji administer 6 national parks and various historical sites. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... Suva is the capital of Fiji. ... Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. ...

Other well-known landmarks include Sacred Heart Church, a legacy of the Marist Fathers, who arrived in 1858, the Ovalau Club, one of the oldest social organizations in the Pacific, and Levuka Town Hall, which houses the Levuka Town Council. It was built in 1898 in honour of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The Marist Brothers is a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers and lay people. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the eminent Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June, 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January, 1877, until her death in 1901. ... A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary. ...

Economic activities

Levuka's status as a stopover port for ocean vessels crossing the Pacific came to an end in the 1950s, threatening the town with economic extinction. In 1964, however, the Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO) was founded by a Japanese firm, specializing in freezing and shipping canned tuna, mostly to markets in Europe and Canada. A cannery, a joint PAFCO-government venture, was opened in 1976, and is the largest private employer on the island of Ovalau. Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ... View of the Pacific Ocean from Oregon. ... The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959, although some sources say from 1951 through 1960. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Species See text Tuna, sometimes called tunafish, are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... Canning is a method of preserving food by first heating it to a temperature that destroys contaminating microorganisms, and then sealing it in air-tight jars, cans or pouches. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

Owing largely to Levuka's isolation, tourism plays only a minor role in the Levuka/Ovalau economy. More than 3 million tourists visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, India in 2004. ...

History

The modern town of Levuka was founded around 1820 by European settlers and traders as the first modern town in the Fiji Islands, and became an important port and trading post. A disparate band of settlers made up Levuka's population - traders, missionaries, shipwrights, speculators, and vagabonds, as well as respectable businessmen. Marist priests, led by Father Breheret, established a mission in Levuka in 1858. By 1870, the town had a population of more than 800. When the first modern nation state of Fiji was founded in 1871, Seru Epenisa Cakobau was crowned King at Levuka. After Fiji was annexed as a British colony in 1874, Levuka remained the capital until 1877, when the administration was moved to Suva, althoughh the move was not made official until 1882. The move was prompted by concerns that the 600-meter high cliffs surrounding Levuka gave it no room for expansion. 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... The Marist Brothers is a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers and lay people. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (1815-1883) was King of Fiji from 8 December 1852 to 10 October 1874, when he ceded his country to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. ... The coronation of Empress Farah, of Iran in 1967. ... Kings (1700s to 1874) Nailatikau : ???? - 1770 Banuve : 1770 - February 1803 Naulivou : 21 February 1803 - 1829 Tanoa Visawaqa : 1829 - 1832 Navuaka Komainaqaranikula : 1832 - 1837 Tanoa Visawaqa (Restored) : August 1837 - 1852 Seru Epenisa Cakobau : 8 December 1852 - 10 October 1874 (ceded Fiji to the United Kingdom) British Monarchs (1874 to 1987) From... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Suva is the capital of Fiji. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Levuka is famous for many of Fiji's "firsts." It was the site of Fiji's first bank, post office, school, private members club, hospital, town hall, and municipal government. Fiji's first newspaper, the Fiji Times, which is still in operation today, was founded in Levuka in 1869. Levuka's Royal Hotel is the oldest hotel in the South Pacific still operating. Historians have not ascertained its exact age, but records show that it was in existence by the early 1860s. Levuka Public School, opened in 1879, was the first public school in Fiji and many of Fiji's leaders in the years leading up to and following independence in 1970 were educated there. The oldest Masonic lodge in the South Pacific, Lodge Polynesia 562 SC, is also to be found in Levuka. It was established in 1875. Levuka was also the site of Fiji's first public electricity system, which began in 1927, three days before the capital Suva was electrified. Fiji Times Online The Fiji Times is a daily newspaper published in Fiji. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Oceania is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands – mostly islands but often including Australia – in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. ... // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Politics

Levuka has been incorporated as a Town since 1877, and is governed by a Town Council of 8 members, elected for 3 year terms. The municipal elections of 22 October 2005 resulted in a defeat for the United Fiji Party (SDL) of outgoing Mayor Taniela Bulivou, with the Balance Party taking 6 of the 8 seats. The new council elected George Gibson to succeed Bulivou; the Mayoral term is for one year, but may be extended any number of times. Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Municipal elections were held for 11 of Fijis twelve city and town councils on 22 October 2005. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Politics of Fiji Categories: Fiji-related stubs | Fijian political parties ...

External links

• Levuka Town
• Lodge Polynesia 562 SC

Political divisions of Fiji
	Divisions: Central | Eastern | Northern | Western Provinces: Ba | Bua | Cakaudrove | Kadavu | Lau | Lomaiviti | Macuata | Nadroga-Navosa | Naitasiri | Namosi | Ra | Rewa | Serua | Tailevu Dependency: Rotuma Cities: Lautoka | Suva Towns: Ba | Labasa | Lami | Levuka | Nadi | Nasinu | Nausori | Savusavu | Sigatoka | Tavua