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.
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 .
In 2021 Lau Province banned spearfishing at night in order to protect the marine ecosystem and biodiversity. Previously, communities from more than 30% of the province had banned the practice.
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. As of 2007, about 57,500 people born in Lau Province lived elsewhere in Fiji.
2017 Census Tikina(District) Ethnicity Total 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
References