Island (pop., including adjacent islands, 1996: 139,526), Fiji.
Fiji's second largest island, it is 2,137 sq mi (5,535 sq km) in area. Sighted by the Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1643, the volcanic Vanua Levu (meaning "Great Land") has a central mountain range, culminating at Mount Nasorolevu (3,386 ft [1,032 m]), which divides the island into wet and dry sections. The chief river is the Ndreketi.