Lau Province is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji. Its capital is at Tubou, at the southern end of the island of Lakeba. The province forms part of the country's Eastern Division (which also includes the provinces of Kadavu and Lomaiviti), and of the Tovata Confederacy, a traditional hierarchy of chiefs from northern and eastern Fiji.
Geographically it consists of the Lau Archipelago. The Lau group comprises 57 islands, 19 of which are inhabited, and has a total land area of around 490 square kilometres (190 sq mi).[1] At the most recent census in 2017, it had a population of 9,602, down from 10,683 in 2007 and 14,500 in 1976, making it the third-least populous province.[2][3] As of 2007, about 57,500 people born in Lau Province lived elsewhere in Fiji.[1]
In 2021 Lau Province banned spearfishing at night in order to protect the marine ecosystem and biodiversity.[4][5] Previously, communities from more than 30% of the province had banned the practice.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Tuiloa, Masilina; White, Michael (3 December 2012). Accountability Failures in an iTaukei corporation: The case for a Fiji provincial company (Report). University of Wollongong. p. 4.
- ^ Fiji Bureau of Statistics (5 January 2018). "2017 Population and Housing Census - Release 1". Census 2017. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ UNESCO/UNFPA (1977). Population, resources and development in the eastern islands of Fiji: information for decision-making (PDF). Canberra, Australia. p. 346.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Bolaitamana, Maciu (10 June 2021). "Lau Province Ban Night Spear Fishing, A First For Fiji". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ Nakeke, Alumeci (9 June 2022). "Fishing for future – World Ocean Day: Tradition between the villages". Fiji Times. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ Walton, Kate (21 April 2021). "'Ocean in crisis': Global plan to protect world's seas". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 29 May 2023.