View source for Viti Levu

[[File:Vitilevu topo.jpg|250px|right|Viti levu]]

E dua '''Viti Levu''' (pronounced {{IPA-fj|ˈβitʃi ˈleβu|}}) sai koya na [[yanuyanu]] levu duadua ena loma ni vanua o [[Viti]], na vanua e tiko kina na mata ni matanitu, e [[Suva]], kei na itikotiko vei ira e vuqa sara na lewe levu ni iwiliwili nei Viti.

== Geology ==
Fiji lies in a [[plate tectonics|tectonically complex area]] between the [[Australian Plate]] and the [[Pacific Plate]].  The Fiji Platform lies in a zone bordered with active extension fault lines around which most of the shallow earthquakes were centered. These fault lines are the Fiji Fracture Zone (FFZ) to the north, the [[Spreading ridge|176° Extension Zone]] (176°E EZ) to the west, and the Hunter Fracture Zone (HFZ) and Lau Ridge to the east.<ref name="Greenbaum">{{cite web|url=http://eird.org/deslizamientos/pdf/eng/doc8455/doc8455-2a.pdf|title=Landslide hazards in Fiji|last=Greenbaum|first=D.|author2=Bowker, M. R|author3=Dau, I|author4=Drospy, H|author5=Greally, K. B|author6=McDonald A. J. W|author7=Marsh, S. H|author8=Northmore, K. J|author9=O'Connor, E. A|author10=Prasad, R. S|author11=Tragheim, D. G.|last-author-amp=yes|year=1995|work=Technical Report WC/95/28 Rapid methods of landslide hazard mapping : Fiji case study|publisher=British Geological Survey|accessdate=23 March 2011}}</ref>

The oldest rocks on the island consist of the [[Eocene]] to [[Lower Miocene]] Wainimala [[Group (geology)|Group]].  The Lower portion of the Group are composed of [[volcanic]] flows and volcanoclastics, which grade from [[basalt]] to [[trachyte]] and [[rhyolite]].  Geographically, this group is found south of [[Nadi]], including the peaks of Koromba (3528’) and Natambumgguto (1242’), down to [[Sigatoka]].  From Sigatoka, the Group extends almost all the way to Lodoni, and includes the peaks of Tuvutau (3060’) and Tikituru (3071’), while along the southern coast it extends almost to [[Nausori]].  The Group is [[intruded]] by the Tholo [[pluton|Plutonics]] consisting of similar age [[stock (geology)|stocks]] of [[tonalite]], [[granodiorite]], [[gabbro]] and [[diorite]].  [[Miocene|Mio]]-[[Pliocene]] [[sandstone]]s and [[marl]], grading into epiclastics and [[andesite|andesitic]] volcanics of the Suva Group are found mainly in the river valleys such as those formed by the [[Nadi River]] and [[Navua River]].  The Plio-[[Pleistocene]] Mba Grouop is found on the northern portion of the island and consists of [[porphyritic]] basalt flows and volcanoclastics grading into [[greywacke]].  Geographically it includes the peaks of Koroyanitu (3921’), Malua (3294’), Monavatu (3708’), [[Mount Tomanivi]] (4341’), and Ndelamendamu (2540’), and extends along the eastern coast almost to Nausori.  It also includes the Emperor Mine near [[Vatukoula]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Provisional Geologic Map of Fiji |date=1965 |publisher=Fiji Geological Survey |location=Suva}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rodda |first1=P. |title=Outline of the geology of Viti Levu |journal=New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics |date=1967 |volume=10 |issue=5 |pages=1260–1273 |doi=10.1080/00288306.1967.10420217|doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Geography and economy ==
[[File:Vitilevu topo.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Topography of Viti Levu island.]]
Viti Levu is the largest island in the nation, home to 70% of the population (about 600,000), and is the hub of the entire Fijian archipelago. It measures {{convert|146|km}} long and  {{convert|106|km}} wide, and has an area of {{convert|10389|km²}}. [[1953 Suva earthquake|Earthquakes]] and volcanic eruptions account for the somewhat rugged terrain of the island, which is divided into roughly equal halves by a north-south mountain range. The centre of the island is forested and includes the nation's highest peak [[Mount Tomanivi]] (otherwise Mount Victoria) rising to {{convert|1324|m}}.

The eastern side of the island experiences heavy rainfall, while the western side (colloquially called the "burning west")  is noticeably drier in the range's [[rain shadow]].  Accordingly, [[sugar cane]] production thrives in the west, while a [[dairy]] industry is being built in the east. {{Citation needed|date=September 2016}} Fiji's biggest cattle ranch is at Yaqara, with 7000 head of cattle on its {{convert|70|km²|acre}}, located halfway between [[Tavua, Fiji|Tavua]] and [[Rakiraki District, Fiji|Rakiraki]]. The island is the only known home of one of the world's largest insects, the [[Giant Fijian long-horned beetle]].

== Localities ==
[[File:Korotogo.jpg|thumb|Korotogo beach, Coral Coast.]]
[[File:Navala.jpg|thumb|The highland village of [[Navala]].]]
Viti Levu hosts the capital city of [[Suva]], and is home to nearly three quarters of the population of the Republic (about 580,000). Other important towns, all around the coast, include [[Ba (town)|Ba]], [[Lautoka]], [[Nadi, Fiji|Nadi]], [[Nausori]], Rakiraki, and [[Sigatoka]]. One major road has been built around the perimeter of Viti Levu. Well-known localities include [[Natadola Beach]], [[Pacific Harbour]] (a resort center about 50 kilometers from Suva).

== Politics ==
Eight of Fiji's fourteen [[Local government in Fiji|Provinces]] are in Viti Levu.  The Provinces of [[Ba Province|Ba]], [[Nadroga-Navosa Province|Nadroga-Navosa]], and [[Ra Province|Ra]] comprise the [[Western Division, Fiji|Western Division]], while [[Naitasiri Province|Naitasiri]], [[Namosi Province|Namosi]], [[Rewa Province|Rewa]], [[Serua Province|Serua]], and [[Tailevu Province|Tailevu]] form the [[Central Division, Fiji|Central Division]].  In part because of its high concentration of [[Indians in Fiji|Indo-Fijians]], whose ancestors came mostly as indentured workers from [[India]] between 1879 and 1916, the political dynamics of western Viti Levu are somewhat different from those of eastern Viti Levu, where, apart from the multi-racial urban areas, [[Fijians|indigenous Fijians]] are more heavily concentrated.

== History ==
Viti Levu is believed to have been inhabited longer than the northern island of [[Vanua Levu]]. According to oral traditions, the first [[Melanesia]]n settlers landed at [[Vuda Point]] and established [[Viseisei]], believed to be Fiji's oldest settlement, although archaeologists refute this claim.

==Other==
The Canadian entrepreneur [[Peter Munk]] named his [[Klosters]] house after the island, as Viti Levu was where he and [[David Gilmour (businessman)|David Gilmour]] started the [[Southern Pacific Hotel]] chain in the 1960s.<ref>"Peter Munk: A mining magnate nears the end of his golden reign" ERIC REGULY. [[The Globe and Mail]] 15 March 2014</ref>

==Veitikina==
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[[Category:Viti Levu]]
[[Category:{{SIL|Islands of Fiji}}]]