In 1877, Fiji's capital was moved to Suva fromLevuka, the main European colonial settlement at the time, due to the restrictive geography and environs of the latter. The administration of the colony was transferred from Levuka to Suva in 1882.
As of the 2017 census, Suva had apopulation of 93,970,[1] and its metropolitan area, which includes its independent suburbs, had a population of 185,913.[2] The combined urban population of Suva and the towns ofLami,Nasinu, andNausori that border it was around 330,000, over a third of the nation's population (this urban complex, excluding Lami, is also known as theSuva-Nausori corridor).
Suva is Fiji's political, economic, and cultural centre. It is also the economic and cultural capital of the South Pacific, hosting most of the regional headquarters of major international corporations, international agencies, and diplomatic missions. The city also has a thriving arts and performance scene and a growing reputation as the region'sfashion capital.
Suva Central Business District in the 1950sSuva, Fiji, c. 1920
In 1868, when Suva was still a small village, theBauanchieftain,Seru Epenisa Cakobau, granted 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi) of land to the Australian-based Polynesia Company, in exchange for the company's promise to pay off debts owed to the United States. More than a tenth of this land area, 575 km2 (222 sq mi), was near Suva. The company's original intention was to develop a cotton farming industry, but the land and climate proved unsuitable.[3]
In 1874, control of the Fiji Islands was ceded to the United Kingdom. In 1877, thecolonial authorities moved the capital to Suva fromLevuka, Ovalau, Lomaiviti, because Levuka's location between a steep mountain and the sea made any expansion of the town impractical. Colonel F. E. Pratt of theRoyal Engineers was appointed Surveyor-General in 1875 and designed the new capital in Suva, assisted by W. Stephens and Colonel R. W. Stewart. The transfer of the administration to Suva was made official in 1882.[4]
In 1910, Suva acquired the status of a municipality, under the Municipal Constitution Ordinance of 1909. Its area remained one square mile until 1952, when Suva annexed the Muanikau and Samabulawards, expanding its territory to 13 km2 (5.0 sq mi). In October of that year, Suva was officially designated a city – Fiji's first. Suva later annexedTamavua. Most recently, Suva further extended its boundaries by incorporating the Cunningham area at its northern edge. Since then,urban sprawl has led to the growth of a number of suburbs outside the city limits. Together with the city, they form the metropolitan area known as the Greater Suva Area.[5]
Suva hosted theSouth Pacific Games in 2003 for the third time in the event's 40-year history. In preparation for hosting the event, the Fijiangovernment, with the help of a $16 million aid package from the People's Republic of China, funded the construction of a new gymnasium, indoor sports centre, swimming pool, stadium,field hockey pitch, and grandstands in the area around Suva.[6]
In addition to being the capital of Fiji, Suva is also its commercial and political centre (though not necessarily its cultural centre), and its main port city. It has a mix of modern buildings and colonial-period architecture.
Suva is located around a harbour on a hilly peninsula in the southeast corner ofViti Levu Island, between Laucala Bay and Suva Harbour. The mountains to its north and west catch the southeast trade winds, producing year-round moist conditions.
Although Suva is on a peninsula, and almost surrounded by sea, its coast is lined with mangroves - the nearest beach is 40 kilometres (25 mi) away, atPacific Harbour. A significant part of the city centre, including theParliament buildings, is built on reclaimed mangrove swampland.
Below is a list of the city's five wards,[7][better source needed][8] beginning with the city centre, followed by the northwesternmost ward, and then in clockwise order:
Suva has atropical rainforest climate, according to theKöppen climate classification system. But because of its trade winds and occasionalcyclones, it is not an equatorial climate. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation throughout the year, with no true dry season; no month has an average rainfall below 60 mm (2 in). Suva averages 3,000 mm (118 inches) of precipitation annually. Its driest month, July, averages 125 mm (4.92 in). As in many other cities with a tropical rainforest climate, temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with an average high of about 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of about 22 °C (72 °F).
Suva has a markedly higher rainfall thanNadi or the western side ofViti Levu (known to Suva inhabitants as "the burning west"). The second governor of Fiji,Sir Arthur Gordon, is said to have remarked that he had never seen it rain anywhere the way it rains in Suva and that there was hardly a day without rain. The most copious rainfall is observed from November to May, while the slightly cooler months from June to October see considerably more moderate rainfall.
Climate data for Suva (Laucala Bay) (1991–2020 normals)
Suva is a multiracial and multicultural city.Indigenous Fijians andIndo-Fijians, Fiji's two principal ethnic groups, comprise the bulk of Suva's population, and the city is home to most of Fiji's ethnic minority populations, includingRotumans, Lauans, Rambians,Europeans (known asKaivalagi), part-Europeans (of European and Fijian descent, known as “Kailoma") andChinese. The most widely spoken language is English, butFijian,Fiji Hindi, and other languages are also spoken by their respective communities.
Suva's inhabitants are representative of all the major indigenous Pacific groups: Suva is sometimes called the "New York of the Pacific". The city has a reputation as a major economic centre in the region and is the site ofUniversity of the South Pacific's main campus. This has led to an influx of Pacific migrants, who study, work, and live in Suva and its boroughs.
Suva hasmunicipal status and until 2009 was governed by alord mayor and a 20-membercity council. The Suva City Council was the municipal law-making body of the city of Suva. It consisted of 20 councillors, elected for three-year terms from four multi-member constituencies, called wards. Councillors were elected by residents, landowners, and representatives of corporations owning or occupying taxable property in Suva. Councillors in turn elected, from among their own members, a lord mayor and deputy lord mayor, who served one-year terms and were eligible for reelection.
In 2009, themilitary-backed interim Fijian government dismissed all municipal government officials and appointed special administrators to run the urban areas. As of 2015[update], elected municipal government had not been restored. The special administrator of Suva, along with nearbyNasinu, is Chandu Umaria, a former lord mayor of Suva.[12]
Suva City Carnegie LibraryParliament HouseThurston Gardens, Suva
A well-known landmark is the Suva City Carnegie Library, which was built in 1909. It is one of many colonial-period buildings in the city.
Another landmark is Suva's governmental building complex. It sits on what was once the flowing waters of a creek. In 1935, the creek was drained, and the complex's foundations were created by driving more than five kilometres of reinforced concrete pilings into its bed. The foundation stone was laid in 1937, the building complex was completed in 1939, and a new wing was completed in 1967. In 1992, the seat of theParliament of Fiji was moved out of that complex and into a new one on Ratu Sukuna Road.
Government House was formerly the residence of Fiji'scolonialgovernors and, after Fijian independence in 1970,governors-general. Today, it is the official residence of Fiji'spresident. The original house on the site was built in 1882, but a fire caused by lightning destroyed it in 1921. It was rebuilt in 1928.
The Suva campus of theUniversity of the South Pacific (USP) occupies what was originally RNZAF Station Laucala Bay, home to the New ZealandNo. 5 Squadron RNZAF. It is the largest of the many USP campuses throughout the South Pacific. USP is the largest university in thePacific Islands outside Hawaii, and its courses are internationally recognised and endorsed.
TheFiji Museum, now inThurston Gardens, was founded in 1904, and originally occupied the old town hall. It moved to its present location in 1954. The museum houses the world's most extensive collection of Fijian artifacts, and is also a research and educational institution, specialising in archaeology, the preservation of Fiji's oral tradition, and the publication of material on Fiji's language and culture.
Suva has about 78 parks. The new Takashi Suzuki Garden, in Apted Park at Suva Point, is a popular spot for viewing sunrise and sunset.Thurston Gardens, which opened in 1913, features flora from throughout the South Pacific.
Suva has many shopping and retail areas, notably Cumming Street, which has been a vibrant and colourful shopping area since colonial times. The Cumming Street area has original colonial buildings and narrow roads. Suva also has modern shopping malls, such as the Suva Central Shopping Mall, the Mid-City Mall, and MHCC.
One of Fiji's shopping malls, TappooCity, is the South Pacific's largest mall outside Australia and New Zealand.[13] This low-rise (six-storey) building was constructed in 2009 in a joint venture by FNPF and the Tappoo Group of Companies. It is valued at US$25.7 million (FJD50 million).[citation needed]
Construction work began in 2011 on a FJD30-million mini-mall complex at Grantham Road, behind the Sports-City Complex and close to the Suva campus of theUniversity of the South Pacific. It was scheduled to be completed in 2012, and to house restaurants, retail outlets, and cinemas.[14]
Unlike most cities and towns in Fiji, and many around the world, Suva did not grow up around a single industry. It has gradually developed to become the largest and most sophisticated city in the Pacific Islands, and a regional hub. Fijians of Indian descent have largely shaped the economy of Fiji, contributing immensely to the growth of Suva and to its status as the economic and political capital of Fiji. Suva is the commercial center of Fiji: Most international banks have their Pacific headquarters here, includingANZ and theWestpac. In addition, most Fijian financial institutions,non-governmental organisations, and government ministries and departments are headquartered here. At one point, both Air Pacific[15] (nowFiji Airways) andAir Fiji[16] were headquartered in Suva.
A large part of Fiji'sinternational shipping, as well as the docking of international cruise ships, takes place at Suva's Kings Wharf. This has led to the growth of Suva'stourism industry.
The largest of Suva's several industrial areas is Walu Bay, which is home to factories,warehouses, import-export companies,shipyards, container yards, a brewery, and many printeries. Other notable industrial areas are Vatuwaqa, Raiwaqa, and Laucala Beach.
Suva boasts many thriving markets and shopping complexes. Among the most popular areas for shopping and commerce are Cumming Street and Victoria Parade.
Suva is host to more international and regional intergovernmental agencies and NGOs than any other Pacific Island capital. Some of the bodies with a presence in Suva are:
TheTRAFFIC Oceania South Pacific Programme – funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is in Suva, in the offices of the WWF South Pacific Programme. The programme assists in the implementation ofCITES and strengthens collaboration with theWorld Wide Fund for Nature.
TheFiji National University which is a major polytechnic in Fiji and caters to students from many small Pacific Island nations. It has centres in other Fiji towns of Nadi, Ba and Labasa.
The Fiji College of Advanced Learning.
TPAF (The Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji).
Suva is the cultural and entertainment capital of Oceania and is host to many regional, national, and local events. The city has a very developed and advanced entertainment and event infrastructure and hosts a busy calendar of events every year.
Suva has many multipurpose venues, the main ones being theVodafone Arena, which can seat up to 5,000 people, theHFC Bank Stadium, which can seat 15,446 people, the FMF National Gymnasium Suva, which can seat up to 2,000 people, and the Civic Auditorium, which can seat up to 1,000 people.
Suva has a number of parks and a few gardens.Albert Park, in the City centre, is famous as the stage for many national-historical events such as the Independence of Fiji, the landing byKingsford Smith on the Southern Cross and many parades and carnivals. Sukuna Park, also in the CBD is a popular recreational park and has many performances and events on a weekly basis.Thurston Gardens (named forGovernor of FijiJohn Bates Thurston) is the city's main botanical garden and the location of the Fiji Museum. Queen Elizabeth Drive is popular as a scenic walk along Suva's foreshore. Many city residents go to theColo-i-Suva Forest Reserve, a short drive from the city centre, to swim under thewaterfalls.
Owing to its multicultural demographics, Suva offers a variety of global cuisine. Particularly popular areFijian,Indian,Chinese, American, and foods from other cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Fijians of Indian descent have influenced Fiji's cuisine, in the process creating the uniquely Fiji Indian curry. Indentured labourers brought with them spices, chilies, and other herbs and vegetables that are now part of the Fijian palate and cuisine.
Suva hosts many regional and national sporting events, most notably at theHFC Bank Stadium. A special highlight is the Coca-Cola Games, the world's largest secondary school athletics meet. TheCapital City is represented in major sporting events by itsrugby,netball, and football teams.
Suva hosted the firstPacific Games in 1963. In2003 the Games returned to Suva with a full program of 32 sports introduced for the first time. Suva held the games for the second time in 1979. Suva has hosted the Pacific Games more often than any other city.
Headquartered in Suva are the Fiji's three main national television stations:Fiji One,FBC TV andMAI TV, alongside the Fiji Ministry of Information, the producer of government programming, national news, and current affairs bulletins. Fiji One produces and airs its evening 'National News' bulletin from its studios in Gladstone Road in Central; FBC TV airs its 'FBC News' bulletin from its studios, also on Gladstone Road.Sky Pacific andPacific Broadcasting Services Fiji are the two pay satellite television company headquartered in Suva.
Suva is home to the national radio broadcastersFiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) and Communications Fiji Limited (CFL), between them providing 12 national radio stations.
The two dailies,The Fiji Times andThe Fiji Sun are printed here (and, formerly, theFiji Post). Many other weekly newspapers are headquartered and published in Suva, includingInside Fiji,Nai Lalakai (iTaukei language weekly),Shanti Dut (Fiji Hindi weekly), national magazines such asRepúblika andMai Life as well as regional magazines such asIslands Business.
Suva is one of the most shopper-friendly cities in the Pacific. The city offers its shops in a cluster that is referred to as Suva Central. Areas like Cumming Street and Marks Street are for clothing, jewellery, food, electronics, pharmaceuticals and more. Terry Walk and the Flea Market offer handicrafts and local ware. Close by, huge, new shopping complexes dominate the canal area, such as MHCC (Morris Hedstrom City Center), Tappoo City and Suva Central. There are telecommunication and electronic stores, as well as sporting gear stores in the outer areas of this radius.
Suva also hosts the headquarters of the Fashion Council of Fiji, the region's most significant fashion organisation. The Fijian Fashion Festival, the region's largest trade and consumer fashion platform, occurs annually at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.
Suva has a public transport system consisting of buses (Central Transport Co.) and taxis servicing the metropolitan area as well as the cities of Nasinu, Nausori, and Lami town. There are bus services connecting Suva with other towns and cities on Viti Levu by way of either the Kings, Queens, or Princes highways, all originating within Suva, although the latter terminates atRewa Bridge in Nausori.[citation needed]
There is a domestic ferry service from the Princess Wharf to the outer islands of Fiji as well asVanua Levu. International ships and cruise liners dock at Suva's Kings Wharf.[citation needed]
Fiji, by Korina Miller, Robyn Jones, Leonardo Pinheiro – Travel – 2003, published by Lonely Planet, pages 139–141,details on Suva City.
The Suva City Library: A Brief History and Development, 1909–1980, by S Baksh – 1980
Pluralism and Social Change in Suva City, Fiji, by Alexander Mamak – 1974, Thesis/dissertation; Ethnology (Fiji, Suva City); Suva City, Fiji Islands (Social conditions)
A History of the Pacific Islands: Passages Through Tropical Time – Page 162, by Deryck Scarr 2001 – 323 pages.
Frommer's South Pacific, by Bill Goodwin – Travel – 2004, pages 258–263
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