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Geography Fiji is situated in the southwest Pacific, just west of the international dateline, about 3,000 km away from Australia. Its eastern neighbour is Tonga, its western neighbour Vanuatu, earlier known as New Hebrides. 150 of the 320 islands are inhabited. The archipelago consists predominantly of high, mountainous islands of volcanic origins. The largest island is Viti Levu with 10.390 sqkm, it is also the geograhical centre of the entire archipelago and home to 75 % of the population. The capital and main port of Suva is on the East Coast. Nadi and the international airport are on the West Coast. Vanua Levu, northeast of Viti Levu, is the second largest island and half the size of Viti Levu. The small, beach-surrounded coral islands off Viti Levu’s western coast make up the Mamanuca Islands, the main focus of Fiji’s tourism. The Yasawa Islands, a chain of islands northwest of the main island Viti Levu, is also a popular destination for sailing and cruising. Taveuni, east of Vanua Levu is, at 470 sqkm much smaller. Because of its lush vegetation and its abundance of agricultural products, it is also known as Garden Island. Almost as big as Taveuni is Kadavu (410 sq km), south of Viti Levu.
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