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Do not fill this in! == Geography == {{Main|Geography of Fiji}} {{See also|Flora and fauna of Fiji}} [[File:Fiji and oceania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Fiji's location in Oceania]] [[File:Fiji map.png|thumb|upright=1.15|A map of Fiji]] [[File:Fiji topo.png|thumb|upright=1.15|Topography of Fiji]] Fiji lies approximately {{Convert|5100|km|abbr=on}} southwest of Hawaii and roughly {{Convert|3150|km|abbr=on}} from [[Sydney]], Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://distancebetween.info/fiji/hawaii|title=Distance between Fiji and Hawaii|website=distancebetween.info|access-date=13 February 2020|archive-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213201827/http://distancebetween.info/fiji/hawaii|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://distancebetween.info/fiji/australia|title=Distance between Fiji and Australia|website=distancebetween.info|access-date=13 February 2020|archive-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213201825/http://distancebetween.info/fiji/australia|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fiji is the hub of the Southwest Pacific, midway between [[Vanuatu]] and [[Tonga]]. The archipelago is located between 176° 53′ east and 178° 12′ west. The archipelago is roughly {{Convert|498,000|mi2}} and less than 2 percent is dry land. The 180° meridian runs through [[Taveuni]], but the [[International Date Line]] is bent to give uniform time (UTC+12) to all of the Fiji group. With the exception of [[Rotuma]], the Fiji group lies between 15° 42′ and 20° 02′ south. Rotuma is located {{convert|220|nmi}} north of the group, {{convert|360|nmi}} from [[Suva]], 12° 30′ south of the equator. Fiji covers a total area of some {{convert|194000|km2}} of which around 10% is land. Fiji consists of 332<ref name="Factbook-Fiji">{{cite web|title=Fiji|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/fiji/|access-date=20 August 2020|website=The World Factbook|publisher=CIA}}</ref> [[List of islands of Fiji|islands]] (of which 106 are inhabited) and 522 smaller islets. The two most important islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, which account for about three-quarters of the total land area of the country. The islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1,324 metres (4,341 ft), and covered with thick tropical forests. The highest point is [[Mount Tomanivi]] on Viti Levu. Viti Levu hosts the capital city of Suva and is home to nearly three-quarters of the population. Other important towns include [[Nadi]] (the location of the international airport), and [[Lautoka]], Fiji's second largest city with large sugar cane mills and a seaport.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} The main towns on Vanua Levu are [[Labasa]] and [[Savusavu]]. Other islands and island groups include [[Taveuni]] and [[Kadavu Island|Kadavu]] (the third and fourth largest islands, respectively), the [[Mamanuca Group]] (just off Nadi) and [[Yasawa Islands|Yasawa Group]], which are popular tourist destinations, the [[Lomaiviti (archipelago)|Lomaiviti Group]], off Suva, and the remote [[Lau Islands|Lau Group]]. Rotuma has [[Local government in Fiji|special administrative status]] in Fiji. [[Conway Reef|Ceva-i-Ra]], an uninhabited reef, is located about {{convert|250|nmi}} southwest of the main archipelago. Fiji contains two ecoregions: [[Fiji tropical moist forests]] and [[Fiji tropical dry forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> It had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 8.35/10, ranking it 24th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref> === Climate === The climate in Fiji is [[tropical marine climate|tropical marine]] and warm year round with minimal extremes. The warm season is from November to April, and the cooler season lasts from May to October. Temperatures in the cool season average {{convert|22|C|F}}. Rainfall is variable, with the warm season experiencing heavier rainfall, especially inland. For the larger islands, rainfall is heavier on the southeast portions of the islands than on the northwest portions, with consequences for agriculture in those areas. Winds are moderate, though cyclones occur about once annually (10–12 times per decade).<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Country |url=http://www.fiji.gov.fj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=645&Itemid=196 |website=fiji.gov |publisher=Government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands |date=November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323104147/http://www.fiji.gov.fj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=645&Itemid=196 |archive-date=23 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fiji: Land |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Fiji-republic-Pacific-Ocean/Land#ref1003314 |website=britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=6 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806224731/https://www.britannica.com/place/Fiji-republic-Pacific-Ocean/Land#ref1003314 |archive-date=6 August 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Suva, Fiji Monthly Weather |url=https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/Suva+Fiji+FJXX0009:1:FJ |website=weather.com |publisher=The Weather Company |access-date=6 August 2017}}</ref> [[Climate change in Fiji]] is an exceptionally pressing issue for the country – as an island nation, Fiji is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, [[coastal erosion]] and [[extreme weather]].<ref name="COP23">{{cite web |last1=COP23 |title=How Fiji is Affected by Climate Change |url=https://cop23.com.fj/fiji-and-the-pacific/how-fiji-is-affected-by-climate-change/ |website=Cop23 |access-date=5 September 2022 |archive-date=28 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828143019/https://cop23.com.fj/fiji-and-the-pacific/how-fiji-is-affected-by-climate-change/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> These changes, along with temperature rise, will displace Fijian communities and will prove disruptive to the national economy – tourism, agriculture and fisheries, the largest contributors to the nation's GDP, will be severely impacted by climate change causing increases in poverty and food insecurity.<ref name="COP23" /> As a party to both the [[Kyoto Protocol]] and the [[Paris Climate Agreement]], Fiji hopes to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 which, along with national policies, will help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.<ref name="unfccc.int">{{cite web |last1=UN Climate Change News |title=Fiji Submits Long-Term National Climate Plan |url=https://unfccc.int/news/fiji-submits-long-term-national-climate-plan |website=unfccc.int |publisher=United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |access-date=17 July 2021 |date=5 March 2019}}</ref> The governments of Fiji and other island states at risk from climate change ([[Niue]], the [[Solomon Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Tonga]] and [[Vanuatu]]) launched the "Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific", calling for the phase out [[fossil fuel]]s and the 'rapid and [[just transition]]' to [[renewable energy]] and strengthening [[environmental law]] including introducing the crime of [[ecocide]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Six Island Nations Commit to 'Fossil Fuel-Free Pacific,' Demand Global Just Transition |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/fossil-fuel-free-pacific |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=www.commondreams.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-22 |title=Port Vila call to phase out fossil fuels |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/486463/port-vila-call-to-phase-out-fossil-fuels |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ligaiula |first=Pita |date=2023-03-17 |title=Port Vila call for a just transition to a fossil fuel free Pacific {{!}} PINA |url=https://pina.com.fj/2023/03/17/port-vila-call-for-a-just-transition-to-a-fossil-fuel-free-pacific/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |language=en-US}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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