Vanua Balavu is the second largest island in Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

's Lau

Lau Islands

The Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...

 archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

 (not counting the islands of the Moala Group

Moala Islands

The Moala Islands are a subgroup of Fiji's Lau archipelago. Its three islands are located west of the Lau Islands proper, and were historically linked more closely with Bau Island and Viti Levu than with Lau. They we unified by Ratu Sukuna to part of the Lau congregation to support traditional...

), and the main island of the Northern Lau Group.

Geography and infrastructure

Located at 17.2202°N 178.9494°W, this coral

Coral

Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...

 and volcanic

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

 island has a land area of 53 square kilometers. Its maximum elevation is 283 meters. The island is characterized by steep undercut cliffs, with fertile volcanic soil. It is well watered and has hot springs. There is an extensive reef

Reef

In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....

 system, including the islets of Qilaqila Bay. The main village on the island is Lomaloma

Lomaloma

Lomaloma is a village on the Fiji island of Vanua Balavu in the Lau archipelago. It is part of the Tikina of Lomaloma which comprises 9 villages, which is further made up of 13 Yavusa which are further broken down into 42 Mataqali and 54 Tokatoka from early records first documented in 1881 by...

.

Vanua Balavu boasts of the Yanuyanu Island Resort, an airstrip, a copra

Copra

Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...

 port, and a small hospital.
There was also the Lomaloma Copra Biofuel Project which provided power to three villages, Naqara, Sawana and Lomaloma, however it is now defunct.

Points of interest

A large sea cave on the southeastern tip of Vanuabalavu was excavated and shown to have been used by humans more than 10 centuries ago.

Notable people

The best-known native of Vanua Balavu is Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara

Kamisese Mara

Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...

, past President and long time Prime Minister of Fiji, also Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...

, Fiji's Prime Minister since 2000, who hails from the village of Mavana. Other prominent Vanua Balavu natives are the academic leader Esther Williams, from Levukana village, former Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale

Qoriniasi Bale

Qoriniasi Babitu Bale is a lawyer and political leader, who has served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December...

, from Levukana village, and prominent former politician Filipe Bole

Filipe Bole

Filipe Nagera Bole is a Fijian politician who hails from the village of Mualevu on the island of Vanuabalavu in the Lau Group. He has long had a reputation as one of Fiji's few politicians untainted by scandal, and is noted for his moderate views...

, also from Mualevu village. Charles Walker, a former politician and Fiji diplomat hails from Sawana village. Mere Samisoni

Mere Samisoni

Mere Tuisalalo Samisoni is a woman from Lomaloma village on the island of Vanuabalavu in Fiji's Lau archipelago, She also is a Fiji business person and politician, she currently resides in Suva Fiji's Capital.-Politics:...

Business woman and politician comes from the Village of Lomaloma also including the current Lami Mayor Tevita Vuatalevu who hails from the village of Mavana. In sports current Flying Fijian utility back Josh Matavesi who was born and raised in Cornwall, England is also a native of Vanua Balavu through his paternal line.

External links

• Archeological findings in Vanuabalavu.
• Reference to the Geography of Vanuabalavu
• Lomaloma Bio Fuel Project
• Moana's Guest House, Vanua Balavu