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The Sonaisali Island Resort Viti Levu Island is a true island escape in the beautiful South Pacific Ocean yet is only a 3-minute boat ride across the lagoon from the main island of Viti-Levu. This resort consists of 32 beachfront rooms fit with facilities like air-conditioning, television, telephone, refrigerator and a mini bar.

The Plantation Island Resort Plantation Island is nestled on the 553-acre island of Malolo LaiLai, a part of the Mamanuca Group of islands and is just 10 miles offshore west of Nadi International Airport. This resort utilises 23 acres of tropical landscaped gardens and coconut palms and has 7 kilometres of white sandy beaches. This resort offers you total relaxation in the accommodation that are all equipped with necessary facilities. You can dine at the main restaurant as well relax in the snack bar during the stay.

The Sheraton Denarau Villas Denarau Island is the most exclusive beachfront resort in Fiji. Situated on Denarau, an island joined to Fiji�s mainland by a small causeway, the resort is just 3 minutes to Port Denarau Marina and 20 minutes from Nadi International Airport. You can relax in the spacious and cosy rooms with some offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean or the Tropical Lilly Lagoons. All rooms have facilities to makes you feel comfortable. Other facilities include a 24-hour room service, 24-hour front desk, baby-sitting service and many more.

Cities: Capital--Suva, Lautoka, Nadi.
Terrain: Mountainous or varied.
Climate: Tropical maritime.

GEOGRAPHY

Fiji comprises a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific lying about 4,450 km. (2,775 mi.) southwest of Honolulu and 1,770 km. (1,100 mi.) north of New Zealand. Its 322 islands range in size from the large--Viti Levu (about the size of the "Big Island" of Hawaii, and where Suva and 70% of the population are located) and Vanua Levu--to much smaller islands, of which just over 100 are inhabited. The larger islands contain mountains as high as 1,200 meters (4,000 ft.) rising abruptly from the shore.
Heavy rains--up to 304 cm. (120 in.) annually--fall on the windward (southeastern) side, covering these sections of the islands with dense tropical forest. Lowlands on the western portions of each of the main islands are sheltered by the mountains and have a well-marked dry season favorable to crops such as sugarcane.

PEOPLE

Most of Fiji's population lives on the island coasts, either in Suva or in smaller urban centers. The interior is sparsely populated due to its rough terrain.
Indigenous Fijians are a mixture of Polynesian and Melanesian, resulting from the original migrations to the South Pacific many centuries ago. The Indo-Fijian population has grown rapidly from the 60,000 indentured laborers brought from India between 1879 and 1916 to work in the sugarcane fields. Thousands more Indians migrated voluntarily in the 1920s and 1930s and formed the core of Fiji's business class. The native Fijians live throughout the country, while the Indo-Fijians reside primarily near the urban centers and in the cane-producing areas of the two main islands. Nearly all of the indigenous Fijians are Christian; more than three-quarters are Methodist. Approximately 80% of the Indo-Fijians are Hindu, 15% are Muslim, and most of the rest are Sikh, while a few are Christian.
Some Indo-Fijians have been displaced by the expiration of land leases in cane-producing areas and have moved into urban centers in pursuit of jobs. Similarly, a number of indigenous Fijians have moved into urban areas, especially Suva, in search of a better life. Meanwhile, the Indo-Fijian population has declined due to emigration and a declining birth rate. Indo-Fijians currently constitute 40% of the total population, down from over 50% in the 1940s. However, Indo-Fijians dominate the professions and commerce.

Tourism has expanded rapidly since the early 1980s and is the leading economic activity in the islands. Approximately 445,000 people visited Fiji in 2004. About one-third came from Australia, with large contingents also coming from New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. More than 70,000 of the tourists were American, a number that has steadily increased since the start of regularly scheduled nonstop air service from Los Angeles. In 2004, Fiji's gross earnings from tourism were about $430 million, an amount double the revenue from its two largest goods exports (sugar and garments). Gross earnings from tourism continue to be Fiji's major source of foreign currency.