Page 15 - Melanesia
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Fiji Islands The eBooks contain
links to the 3DAVI
We appreciate you purchasing the MELANE- Explore the Sea
SIA: Fiji, Vanuatu and Cook Ilsands eBook and module of over 400
the hours of enjoyment in the form of written web pages that
text, maps, video, slideshows and hyperlinks to describes Coral,
external information. Sponges and Sea
Critters.
F iji is an island country in population of almost 860,000. was a Crown Colony until 1970,
Melanesia in the South The capital and largest city, this administration lasting
Pacific Ocean about 1,100 Suva. almost a century. During World
nautical miles (2,000 km; 1,300 War II, thousands of Fijians
mi) northeast of New Zealand’s The majority of Fiji’s islands volunteered to aid in Allied
North Island. The country com- were formed through vol- efforts via their attachment to
prises an archipelago of more canic activity starting around the New Zealand and Australian
than 332 islands, of which 110 150 million years ago. Today, army units. The Republic of Fiji
are permanently inhabited, and some geothermal activity still Military Forces consist of land
more than 500 islets, amount- occurs on the islands of Vanua and naval units. Fiji has one of
ing to a total land area of about Levu and Taveuni. Fiji has been the most developed economies
18,300 square kilometers (7,100 inhabited since the second in the Pacific island realm due
square miles). The two major millennium BC. In the 17th and to an abundance of forest, min-
islands, Viti Levu and Vanua 18th centuries, the Dutch and eral, and fish resources.
Levu, account for 87% of the the British explored Fiji which
