Fascinating Fiji

Love the education you get while enjoying new places! They say we should learn something new everyday! 

What did i find out?

*There are 333 islands of Fiji scattered across 518,000 square kilometres of Pacific Ocean.

• The Lapita people,named after their distinctive pottery style, were the first people to inhabit Fiji in about 3000BC.
• In 1789, Captain William Bligh sailed through the Fiji Islands after the infamous mutiny on the Bounty.
• The British ruled Fiji from 1874, bringing indentured Indian labour to work sugar cane plantations.
• In 1970, Fiji gained independence and was declared a republic.
• Fiji’s two largest islands, Viti Levu (10,429 sq miles) and Vanua Levu (5556sq km), make up most of the total land area.
• Viti Levu is known for its scenic coastline, rainforests and canefields. The main roads are the Queens Road in the South and the Kings Road in the North which make accessible Nadi, Denarau Island,Lautoka, Suncoast-Rakiraki, Coral Coast, Pacific Coast, Suva and the Eastern islands. 
• Suva, the capital and the main port and largest city, is located on Viti Levu.
• West of Nadi lies e Mamanuca group and further north are the Yasawa Islands. Both are regarded as idyllic jewels of the Pacific.
• Vanua Levu Island (Big land) is the second largest island with beautiful beaches. The town of Labasa is known for its farming and fishing. Savusavu is famous for its hot springs.
• Taveuni Island is known as the Garden Island, lush and tropical and famous for the Bouma waterfall and Lake Tagimaucia.
• The population is 837,271 with indigenous Fijians making up about half the population and Fijian Indians the other half.
• Fiji has several main religions including Christianity, Hindu and Islam.
• English is the official language but Fijian and Hindustani are widely spoken.
• The chiefly system and village structure remain very much in tact with laws protecting Fijian land rights and ancient rules which prohibit Fijians working in the cotton and sugar plantations.
• Fijian ethnic identity is centered on the community. Every member of the village thus stands for the entire community, which accepts responsibility for the actions of each villager.
• “The Meke” - most of Fiji’s history and legends are recounted in song and dance performances with each of the provinces having different stories to tell with different routines. the performers wear hand stenciled bark cloth, called “masi”, with garlands and hair decorations made of different fibres and leaves.
• “Lovo” is  traditional  Fijian where food is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked underground in an earth oven lined with river rocks to ensure a distinctive smokey flavour. 
• You have to seek permission from a village elder to visit a village or be invited by one of the villagers.
• It is important to dress modestly - women should wear long skirts or slacks or use a sarong to cover the legs - shorts are considered not adequate. The shoulders should also be covered. Men should not wear caps or hats and both men and women should