The Lomaiviti archipelago of Fiji consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones. They cover a total area of 411 square kilometers, and had a population of 16,214 at the last census in 1996. The largest town, with a population of 3,745 in 1996, is Levuka, which was Fiji's first modern town and served as the capital from 1871 to 1877. An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Levuka, Fiji Levuka is a town on the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji, of which it is the capital. ... Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town In American English, a town is usually a municipal corporation that is smaller than a city but larger than a village. ... Capital City redirects here. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

History

The first known European sighting of the Lomaiviti Group was recorded in May 1789 by Captain William Bligh, who was on his epic voyage in a lifeboat to Timor having been cast adrift by his crew in the Mutiny on the Bounty. He revisited the area in 1792 in the HMS Providence to complete his survey of the area. 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ... William Bligh in 1814 Vice Admiral of the Blue William Bligh, FRS (9 September 1754 - 7 December 1817) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and colonial administrator. ... Map of Timor Timor Island from space, November 1989 (North is to the bottom of the image). ... for other meaning see Mutiny on the Bounty (disambiguation) The mutineers turning Lt Bligh and some of the officers and crew adrift from HMAV Bounty, 29 April 1789 The Mutiny on the Bounty was a historical event in the late 18th century, most widely known through fiction, of an officer... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The islands of Koro, Batiki, and Gau were seized by the United States Navy in 1867 as security for a long-standing debt owed to the American consul John Brown Williams by Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the Vunivalu (Paramount Chief) of Bau Island who claimed to be King of Fiji. This debt was one of the factors contributing to Cakobau's decision to ceded Fiji to the United Kingdom in 1874, just three years after achieving his decades-long dream of uniting Fiji's myriad islands and tribes under his authority. Koro is an island of Fiji that lies between the large islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... For modern diplomatic consuls, see Consulate general. ... 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 Vunivalu of Bau is the Paramount Chief of the Kubuna Confederacy, and is generally considered to be the highest chiefly title in Fiji. ... Bau is a small island in Fiji, off the east coast of the main island of Viti Levu. ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Politics

Lomaiviti comprises one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces. Administratively, it forms part of Fiji's Eastern Division and of the Kubuna Confederacy, one of three traditional chiefly hierarchies in Fiji. Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. ... The Eastern Division of Fiji is one of Fijis four divisions. ... Kubuna is one of three confederacies which comprise Fijis House of Chiefs, to which all of Fijis chiefs belong. ... Ratu is a title inherited by Fijians of chiefly rank. ...

Notable Lomaivitians

Well-known natives of Lomaiviti include Simione Kaitani, a Minister in the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Simione Kaitani Simione Kaitani is a Fijian politician, who is currently the Minister for Transport and Shipping. ... Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) is the Prime Minister of Fiji. ...

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