Viti Levu - Overview

The largest island, Viti Levu (pronounced Vee-tee Lay-vu) is home to 70% of the population (about 580,000) and is the hub of the entire archipelago.

It measures 146 kilometers long and 106 kilometers wide and has an area of 10,389 square kilometers. In the realm of Pacific islands, it is exceeded in size only by New Caledonia and the Big Island of Hawaii.

Viti Levu has it all--cities, offshore resorts, cane fields, nightlife, low life, villages and as elsewhere in Fiji, no shortage of friendly local people.

Visitors to Fiji will most likely arrive at Nadi International Airport, a dusty farming and tourism center on the west coast of Viti Levu that is rapidly growing in stature. Just to north, 20 minutes away by car, is Lautoka, the second largest city and the second port of entry. The dry, western side of the island, known locally as the `Burning West', is the site of most of the tourist resorts as well as extensive sugar lands. On the southeastern shore is Suva, the largest city, the chief port and the capital. A modern highway runs along most of the perimeter of Viti Levu which makes driving around the island easy. Note that the highway is not quite so good on the topside of the island, past Rakiraki.

Visitors should also note that the climate varies significantly from east to west. The western side of the island is sun-drenched and dry whereas the verdant and often soggy eastern side gets as much as 100 inches of rainfall a year.