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| Lomaiviti Province | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lomaiviti Province |
| Official name | Lomaiviti |
| Settlement type | Province |
| Seat type | Capital |
| Seat | Levuka |
| Area km2 | 41 |
| Population total | 15000 |
| Population as of | 2017 |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | Fiji |
| Subdivision type1 | Division |
| Subdivision name1 | Central Division |
Lomaiviti Province is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji situated in the Central Division and encompassing a chain of islands in the Koro Sea. The province includes the historic town of Levuka and islands such as Ovalau, Koro Island, Makogai, and Batiki Island, and it features volcanic topography, coral reefs, and maritime channels. Lomaiviti has played a role in colonial encounters, indigenous chiefly systems, and contemporary Fijian politics, while sustaining traditional livelihoods like fishing and copra production.
Lomaiviti lies in the South Pacific Ocean within the Koro Sea and is characterized by volcanic terrain on islands such as Ovalau and Koro Island and carbonate reef platforms around Batiki Island, Makogai and Nairai Island. The provincial chain sits between the shipping routes connecting Suva and Levuka and maritime corridors to Savusavu and Laucala Bay, bordered by waters frequented by vessels from Fiji Maritime and Ports Authority and nearby atolls referenced in charts by Fiji Hydrographic Office. Relief on islands includes peaks mapped by surveys from Fiji Lands Department, with coastal mangroves protected under programmes influenced by Convention on Biological Diversity signatories and observed by researchers from University of the South Pacific and The University of Fiji.
Prehistoric settlement of the islands involved Lapita migration waves documented in studies hosted by Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and archaeological work by scholars affiliated with Australian National University and University of Auckland. European contact began with explorers like William Bligh and merchants connected to routes used by the Hudson's Bay Company and later the British Empire; Levuka became the first colonial capital of Fiji and a recognized port in registers of the Colonial Office. The Treaty-era changes tied chiefs from Kubuna Confederacy and representatives such as Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna into the modern Fijian administration, while missionary activity by societies like the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma and London Missionary Society shaped religious conversion patterns. During the 19th and 20th centuries, plantations linked to companies modeled on Levantine trading firms and labor movements connected to Indian indenture system influenced demographics recorded in censuses by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics.
Lomaiviti is administered as a province under the framework of the Republic of Fiji, represented in the Parliament of Fiji by MPs from constituencies including the Levuka area, and coordinated with the Central Division office of the Fiji Government. Provincial administration engages with the Great Council of Chiefs structures historically and contemporary protocols of the iTaukei Land Trust Board and the Fijian Affairs Board for land management and mataqali decision-making. Local municipalities such as the Levuka Town Council interface with statutory agencies including the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management and collaborate with NGOs like Oxfam and regional bodies such as the Pacific Islands Forum on resilience planning.
Population records by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics show island communities composed mainly of indigenous iTaukei people with minorities from Indo-Fijian communities, Pacific Islanders from Rotuma and migrants connected to Kiribati and Tuvalu at different times. Languages spoken include Fijian language (Eastern) dialects, English language and traces of Hindi language among Indo-Fijians, as documented in linguistic surveys by University of the South Pacific. Religious affiliation reflects strong presence of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church of Australia missions history, and smaller groups associated with Seventh-day Adventist Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregations.
The provincial economy combines subsistence activities and market production such as copra processing for export through traders linked to Fiji Copra Millers Association, artisanal fisheries supplying markets in Suva and Nadi, and small-scale tourism oriented to heritage sites like Levuka Historical Port Town and diving around reefs catalogued by Fiji Visitors Bureau. Agricultural practices include taro and yaqona (kava) cultivation noted in studies by Food and Agriculture Organization and smallholder credit schemes supported by Reserve Bank of Fiji policies and finance initiatives from ANZ Bank Fiji and Fiji Development Bank. Remittances from workers employed in New Zealand and Australia and regional labor mobility programs administered by Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat contribute to household incomes.
Cultural life centers on chiefly institutions epitomized by titles from the Kubuna Confederacy and ceremonial practices like the kava ceremony overseen by mataqali recorded in ethnographies by Arthur Maurice Hocart and Marian G. Smith. Levuka’s colonial architecture is recognized by heritage assessments involving UNESCO researchers and the Fiji Museum, while music and dance traditions reflect links to broader Polynesian and Melanesian repertoires studied at University of the South Pacific performing arts units. Community organizations include branches of the Rotary International and church-affiliated groups from Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, and festivals attract visitors coordinated with the Fiji Visitors Bureau and cultural promotions by the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs.
Transport infrastructure consists of inter-island ferry services operated by companies like Sunshine Shipping and landing facilities registered with the Fiji Ports Corporation Limited, air links via local airstrips used by operators connected to Air Fiji histories and charter flights to Nausori Airport. Utilities provisioning involves coordination with Fiji Electricity Authority for diesel and renewable projects, water systems managed in partnership with Fiji Water Authority initiatives, and telecommunications overseen by Telecom Fiji Limited and satellite services used by research teams from SPC (Pacific Community). Disaster preparedness planning engages agencies such as National Disaster Management Office and regional assistance from International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Category:Provinces of Fiji