largest island (4,026 square miles 【10,429 square km】) of Fiji, west of the Koro Sea in the South Pacific Ocean. Its name means “Great Fiji.” Sighted (1789) by Capt. William Bligh of HMS Bounty, the island is split by a central mountain range with many inactive volcanoes. Tomanivi (formerly Mount Victoria), the highest point in Fiji, rises to 4,344 feet (1,324 metres). The mountain range divides the island climatically into a wet southeastern section (120 inches 【3,050 mm】 of rain annually) and a dry northwestern section (70–90 inches (1,800–2,300 mm).

Suva, the Fijian capital, is situated on the island's southeastern coast and has an excellent harbour. Lautoka, on the northwestern coast, is a port for a sugarcane-growing region. Sugar, pineapples, rice, and tobacco are cultivated in the fertile valleys and deltas of the Navua, Rewa, and Sigatoka (Singatoka) rivers. A goldfield at Vatukoula, in the north-central part of the island, was first developed in the 1930s. Nadi (Nandi), in the west, has the country's main international airport, and an oil-fuel installation is at nearby Vunda Point. There is a smaller international airport northeast of Suva at Nausori. The population of the island comprises mostly Indians and Melanesians with concentrations of other ethnicities in the urban areas.