=a. VITI LEVU 18°08'00'"'S 178°25'00"E FIJI ISLANDS General The British Crown Colony of Fiji is centrally located in the south- west Pacific and acts as a gateway to this area. the most southerly of the 1,100 miles south of the tional date line. It is. on New Zealand, the United Physical Data Viti Levu Island is one of Fiji Island group and is located approximately equator and about 630 miles west of the internathe main air and sea routes between Australia, States and Canada. Viti Levuis the largest of the 844 islands, islets, narrow atolls and reefs in the Fiji group. This 4,010 square mile egg-shaped island is approximately 67 miles north-south by about 98 miles east-west. It is a mountainous, volcanic island surrounded by barrier reefs and has four major types of terrain features: (1) plateau - the high 3, 000 to 5,000 ft. central Rairaimatuku Plateau is swampy with dense forests, has sheer drops on the east and west to river valleys, and merges with mountains to the north and south; (2) mountains - from the plateau, mountains fan out including the highest peak, Mount Victoria, north of the plateau at an elevation of 4,341 ft.; (3) uplands - the large areas of hilly uplands at elevations of 1,000 to 2,000 ft. are well dissected by rivers. The Tholo East Uplands located in the northeast are the largest, and are covered by rain forest in the west, grass in the east with some forest cover in low areas. The similar Navan Uplands are north of the southern coast range and are more difficult to penetrate than the Tholo East. The Tholo West Uplands are on the leeward (west) side of the island and are mostly grasscovered with occasional patches of forest; and (4) coast - the coastal zone is a low, hilly transitional region including the plains fringing the coast. This area is intensively cultivated and densely populated. Dense forest occur on the windward side of the island and grassy plains are found on the leeward slopes. Mangrove swamps are on beaches and swampy delta lands. Climate The climate is hot and rainy. Southeast trade winds prevail most of the year. Annual rainfall varies from 60 inches on the leeward side to 140 inches on the windward side. The hot wet season is from February through March, and the dry season is from June through October. Tempertures range from 60°F to 96°F with an annual average of 82°F. On the southeast coast at Suva the relative humidity averages 80 percent and on the northwest coast, 72 percent. Facilities The international airport at Nadi (Nandi} is equipped to handle all types of aircraft. The airstrip for Suva is 15 miles away at Mausori, but can accommodate only light aircraft. Seaplanes can be handled in Suva at Lauthala Bay. Suva Harbor has a wharf with 1,500 ft. of berthing space with depths of 24-36 ft. alongside. Lautoka has a 135 ft. wharf with depths of 21 ft. alongside. Accommodations are available at the 2 large hotels at Nadi, 6 hotels at Suva and others scattered around the island perimeter. State hospitals are located at major towns. Rental vehicles are also available and there is an all-weather gravel road around the island. Visas and passports are required. 27-) voi Il