Page 99 - Melanesia
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ts main administrative centre is Vunisea, which has an airport,         he striking Astrolabe Reef and the Kadavu group of islands

I a high school, a hospital, and a government station, on the         T have both been created by past volcanic activity and tectonic

Namalata Isthmus where the island is almost cut in two. Suva, Fiji’s  movements. The remoteness of this region has ensures an abun-
capital, lies 88 kilometres to the north of Kadavu. The population    dance of marine life unequalled in Fiji. Divers and snorkelers can
of the island province was 10,167 at the most recent census in        expect a diversity of fish life and corals of every conceivable color
2007. Kadavu is one of the least developed areas of Fiji. There are   and formation. The Great Astrolabe Reef is the world’s fourth larg-
few roads, and the local economy is largely dependent on subsist-     est barrier reef and is Fiji’s largest living organism. It extends along
ence farming, supplemented by exports to Viti Levu. There are no      the entire southern side of Kadavu and stretches for over 120km
banks on Kadavu. Tourism is becoming popular, however, with           (74 miles). It is rated as one of the world’s premier diving locations
snorkeling and diving among the major attractions. The chiefly        offering a great diversity and spectacle in coral structures and
system in Kadavu gives much greater authority to local chiefs         marine life.
than most other areas in Fiji, where local chiefs are more often
subservient to a few “paramount chiefs.” William Bligh was the first  T here are five passageways through the Great Astrolabe Reef
known European to sight Kadavu, which he discovered in 1792                and Mad Fish Dive Center - Fiji dives all five. The outer reef
on his second voyage to Fiji on the HMS Providence. He was fol-       falls steeply 100ft/30m, followed by gentle sediment and rubble
lowed in 1799 by the United States vessel Ann & Hope, skippered       covered slopes to a depth of over 200ft/60m. In some areas parts
by C. Bently en route from Australia. In 1827, French commander       of the reef have separated from the broad crest and forming clas-
Dumont d’Urville nearly shipwrecked the Astrolabe on the reef         sic spur and grove reef formations with valleys in between them.
that now bears the vessel’s name. The island later became home to     Depths in these valleys are as shallow as 15-30ft/5-10m. There are
beche-de-mer traders, as well as whalers from Sydney, Australia,      numerous caverns and caves at all depths. Beyond this the reef
and New England in the United States. Galoa Harbour became a          wall drops more than 1600 meters to the ocean floor. The North
regular port of call for vessels carrying mail between Sydney, San    Astrolabe, a circular atoll barrier reef, was recommended for de-
Francisco, and Auckland.                                              velopment as a marine reserve and park, and although no action
                                                                      has yet been taken, Mad Fish Dive Centre and Matava Resort are
                                                                      actively supporting the effort.
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