The Fiji Islands

Geography
The Fijian archipelago is a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific, lying about 4,450 km (2,775 mi) southwest of Honolulu and 1,770 km (1,100 mi) north of New Zealand. Of the 322 islands and 522 smaller islets making up the archipelago, about 106 are permanently inhabited. There are two large islands: Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, two mid-sized islands: Taveuni and Kadavu, and numerous smaller islands. The major islands are characterized by a rugged interior and a diverse geology, while the smaller islands are simpler, low-lying formations. The highest mountain peak of the archipelago is Tomanivi (Mt. Victoria) at 1,323 m on Viti Levu, while Vanua Levu and Taveuni also have mountains reaching over 1,000m.

Island	Size (km²)	Elevation Max. (m)	Geologic Age	% of Fiji’s Population
Viti Levu	10,388	1,323	Late Eocene	69
Vanua Levu	5,535	1,032	Mid Miocene	30
Taveuni	434	1,241	Pliocene	< 1
Kadavu	408	822	Pliocene	< 1
Gau	136	738	Late Miocene	< 1
Koro	108	525	Late Miocene	< 1
Ovalau	102	625	Pliocene	< 1
Moala	62	468	Pliocene	< 1

Climate
Fiji has a warm, humid tropical maritime climate. Heavy rains (up to 304 cm or 120 in annually) fall on the windward (southeastern) side, covering these sections of the islands with dense tropical forest. Lowlands on the western portions of each of the main islands are sheltered by the mountains and have a distinct dry season. Because Fiji is subequatorial, there is weak seasonality, with widespread rainfall between November and April, and with less precipitation between May and October, especially on the low islands and the leeward sides of the large islands. Average annual rainfall in the “dry zone” of the larger islands is between 165–229 cm, while in the lowland wet zone, 305–345 cm. Upland areas often receive 500+ cm, while certain localities in upland Taveuni receive almost 1000 cm of rainfall per year.

Vegetation
Fiji’s vegetation can be divided into three major zones: the wet zone, the dry zone, and the coastal zone. The wet zone includes tropical rainforests in the lowlands, the montane forests and several small patches of cloud forest on the tallest of the archipelago’s peaks. The dry zones of Fiji are mostly restricted to the leeward (western) sides of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Unfortunately, nearly all of the native habitat has been degraded or destroyed by agriculture. The coastal zone is characterized by mangroves and littoral vegetation.

Geology
The Fijian archipelago is located on the boundary zone between the Australian and Pacific Plates. Viti Levu is believed to be the remnant of an ancient island arc formation, variously called the Vitiaz Arc and the Melanesian Arc. Viti Levu’s earliest emergence date, however, did not occur until the Early to Middle Miocene. While the oldest rocks of Viti Levu date back to the Late Eocene, the other elements of the archipelago are much younger in age, few being older than the Mid Miocene, and several large components being no older than the Pliocene.