Lau Province
Province of Fiji
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Lau Province
| |
|---|---|
The Lau Islands | |
 Interactive map of Lau Province | |
| Country |  Fiji |
| Division | Eastern Division |
| Area | |
• Total | 487 km2 (188 sq mi) |
| Population (2017)[2] | |
• Total | 9,539 |
| • Density | 19.6/km2 (50.7/sq mi) |
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).[3]
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]
Demographics
At the most recent census in 2017, Lau had a population of 9,539, down from 10,683 in 2007 and 14,500 in 1976, making it the third-least populous province.[7][8] As of 2007, about 57,500 people born in Lau Province lived elsewhere in Fiji.[3]
2017 Census
| Tikina (District) |
Ethnicity | Total[9] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iTaukei | % | Indo-Fijian | % | Other | % | ||
| Cicia | 1,020 | 99.2 | 6 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.2 | 1,028 |
| Kabara | 655 | 99.8 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.2 | 656 |
| Lakeba | 1,542 | 99.0 | 12 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.2 | 1,557 |
| Lau Other Islands | 236 | 80.8 | 29 | 9.9 | 27 | 9.2 | 292 |
| Lomaloma | 895 | 97.8 | 8 | 0.9 | 12 | 1.3 | 915 |
| Matuku | 513 | 98.3 | 5 | 1.0 | 4 | 0.8 | 522 |
| Moala | 1,377 | 99.6 | 2 | 0.1 | 4 | 0.3 | 1,383 |
| Moce | 424 | 99.1 | 3 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.2 | 428 |
| Mualevu | 826 | 98.6 | 7 | 0.8 | 5 | 0.6 | 838 |
| Nayau | 291 | 99.3 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.3 | 293 |
| Oneata | 147 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 147 |
| Ono | 523 | 99.8 | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 | 524 |
| Totoya | 622 | 99.7 | 1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.2 | 624 |
| Vulaga | 332 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 332 |
| Province | 9,403 | 98.6 | 75 | 0.8 | 61 | 0.6 | 9,539 |