Tailevu Province
{{Short description|Province of Fiji}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Tailevu Province
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| settlement_type = Province
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| image_skyline = BureNavala2.jpg
| image_caption = Village in the Nausori Highlands, 2020
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| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Fiji}}
| subdivision_type1 = Division
| subdivision_name1 = Central Division
| seat_type = Capital
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| area_total_km2 = 955
| population_total = 64,552
| population_as_of = 2017
| population_footnotes = {{cite web |url = https://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/index.php/census-2017/census-2017-release-1 |title = 2017 Population and Housing Census - Release 1 |website = statsfiji.gov.fj |access-date=7 Nov 2021}}
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Tailevu is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji. Its main town is Nausori, which lies along the banks of the Rewa River.
Overview
File:Village church Wainibuka, Fiji.jpg
One of the eight provinces based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island, Tailevu's 755 square kilometers occupy the south-eastern fringe of the island along with some central areas.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-04 |title=Tailevu Province {{!}} Central Division {{!}} Fiji {{!}} Glossary {{!}} FJ |url=https://www.fijijournal.com/glossary/tailevu-province/ |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=www.fijijournal.com |language=en-US}} At the 2017 census, it had a population of 64,552, the fifth largest among the provinces.{{cite web |url=http://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/census |title=2017 Population and Housing Census - Release 1 |author=Fiji Bureau of Statistics |date=5 January 2018 |work=Census 2017 |accessdate=8 April 2018}}
Districts
Tailevu includes the districts of Bau, Nakelo, Verata, Vugalei, Wainibuka, Dawasamu and Sawakasa.{{Cite web |date=29 March 2020 |title=Fact file |url=https://www.pressreader.com/fiji/the-fiji-times/20200329/283540862814373 |access-date=2024-05-17 |via=PressReader |publisher=Fiji Times}} Bau District includes Bau Island, the seat of the Kubuna Confederacy, one of three traditional chiefly hierarchies in Fiji.{{Cite journal |last1=LAWSON |first1=STEPHANIE |last2=HAGAN LAWSON |first2=ELIZABETH |date=2015 |title=Chiefly Leadership in Fiji: Past, Present, and Future |url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/264121/1/DP_2015_5_LawsonPrint%26WebNewURL_0.pdf |journal=SSGM Discussion Paper |volume=2015 |issue=5 |via=ANU Open Research Repository}} Kubuna's Paramount Chief, called the Vunivalu of Bau, is generally considered the most senior such chief in Fiji. It also includes the village of Maumi 21 km north-east of Suva, who speak their own dialect, known as Nawakura.{{Cite web |title=Elders Work To Preserve Maumi Dialect |url=https://fijisun.com.fj/2019/01/20/elders-work-to-preserve-maumi-dialect/ |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=fijisun.com.fj |language=en-US}} The population chose to move from a more remote area in 1977.{{Cite web |last=Curuqara |first=Paulini |date=2020-12-14 |title=50 years since the relocation of Maumi |url=https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/50-years-since-the-relocation-of-maumi/ |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=The Fiji Times |language=en-US}}
The main urban area of Tailevu is Nausori with a population of 24,950.{{Cite journal |date=2010 |title=Nausori Town Council 2010 Annual Report |url=https://www.parliament.gov.fj/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/63-Nausori-Town-Council-2010-Annual-Report.pdf |journal=Fiji Parliamentary Papers |volume=2020 |issue=103 |pages=2}} The North of Tailevu is the backbone of the Dairy industry in Fiji which helped to establish Rewa Dairy.{{Cite web |title=Making do with what's left in Wainivesi |url=https://fijisun.com.fj/2009/07/03/making-do-with-whats-left-in-wainivesi/ |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=fijisun.com.fj |language=en-US}} Also located in the province is the Nausori International Airport, a major transportation hub for domestic and regional travel.{{Cite web |last=Fodors.com |title=Fodors travel guide - Plan your trip online |url=https://www.fodors.com/world/australia-and-the-pacific/fiji/travel-tips/air-travel-246855690 |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=Fodor’s Travel |language=en}}
Notable people
- Frank Bainimarama, prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022
- Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau, warlord who forged the first nation-state out of the Fiji islands
- Ratu George Cakobau, governor-general of Fiji from 1973 to 1983 and great-grandson of Seru Epenisa Cakobau
- Ratu George Cakobau Jr., politician and son of George Cakobau
- Ratu Jope Seniloli, vice-president of Fiji until 2004
- George Speight, politician who headed the 2000 coup d'état that overthrew Fiji's elected government