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Fiji Islands |
Fiji Island NadiFiji Island Nadi is a town situated on the eastern side of Viti Levu, the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. Viti Levu is also the island on which the capital of Fiji, Suva, is located and home to approximately 580,000 inhabitants. In 1996 when the last census took place, Fiji Island Nadi had a population slightly above 30,000. Fiji Island Nadi – transportationReaching Fiji Island Nadi from outside Fiji is easy, since it is located no more than 9 kilometers from Fiji's main international airport. Several airlines serve this airport, including Qantas (Australian based), Air New Zealand (and its low-cost airline named Freedom Air) and Pacific Blue (also New Zeeland based). Fiji also has its own international airline, Air Pacific. Fiji Island Nadi – activitiesFiji Island Nadi is a popular town among tourists and there are many different hotels to choose among. Visitors staying in Fiji Island Nadi have easy access to the popular mud-flat beaches in the west. The tranquil eastern highlands is also within reach and you can get to the Sabeto and Sigatoka valleys without having to travel far. There are two botanical gardens near Nadi: the Sleeping Giant Gardens and Waqadra Botanical Gardens. The Sleeping Giant Gardens is situated within a 10 minute drive from Nadi, at the foothills of the Nausori Hihglands. It houses a lot of native and endemic Fiji plants, as well as foreign orchids. Fiji Island Nadi is often used as a base from which the rest of the archipelago is explored. From Fiji Island Nadi, you can for instance take the ferry to Mamanuca. Mamanuca is a group of smaller islands, many of them featuring treasured resorts. Fiji Island Nadi – cultureSeveral different cultures are present in Fiji Island Nadi. The first inhabitants arrived from South East Asia and pottery indicates that Fiji has been populated since at least 1000 BC. According to oral tradition, Viti Levu was actually the first Fiji island to have a resident population and the first settlers lived in what is today known as Viseisei. During the 17th century, the first Europeans arrived to Fiji, but it would take until the 19th century before a permanent European settlement was established. In 1847, Fiji was proclaimed a British colony and the British soon begun to bring over Indian contract laborers. Many of the descendants of these laborers are today living in Fiji Island Nadi. Fiji Island Nadi is therefore a centre for both Hinduism and Islam in Fiji, and while staying in Nadi you can for instance visit the elaborately decorated Sri Siva Subramaniya temple. The Sri Siva Subramaniya temple is the biggest Hindu temple in the Southern hemisphere and a considerable amount of foreign pilgrims arrive to Sri Siva Subramaniya each year. The Muslim heritage is clearly visible in the form of two mosques, the Ahmadiya Mosque and the Nadi Mosque. Fiji Island Nadi – languageIn Fiji Island Nadi, most people speak English as there first or second language. If you leave Nadi and travel to smaller and less frequently visited islands, you can find villages where Fijian or Hindi/Urdu is the first language, but even in such locations many people will speak some English since English is the official Fiji language and taught in grade school.
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