6 interesting facts about Fiji you certainly didn't know

6 interesting facts about Fiji you certainly didn't know

Hundreds of miles of white-sand beaches, an abundance of tropical wildlife, together with the friendliness of local people make Fiji a perfect holiday destination. With its rich colonial traditions mixing smoothly with indigenous heritage, Fiji is a very interesting country you should visit at least once in a lifetime. Today, we bring you 6 fascinating facts about Fiji you certainly didn't know, so keep on reading to find out what they are.

800-piece jigsaw puzzle
Fiji is comprised of a stunning number of 330 islands, and over 500 tiny islets. Although it may not seem like it, the total territory of the Republic of Fiji amounts to over 18000 square kilometers, which makes the archipelago almost as big as such countries like Slovenia or Israel. Only one third of all the islands is inhabited, nevertheless Fiji welcomes an impressive number of over half a million international tourists every year.

Green tourism practices
When looking for the best accommodation in Fiji on such websites like HomeAway (https://www.homeaway.com.au/), you may notice that many hotels practice and promote responsible tourism. Given the fact that Fijians have limited natural resources, they have developed a fully functional system of self-sufficiency, which values conscious social, economic, and environmental approach to life. The trend is especially visible in small villages, which mostly out of necessity, had to develop an effective system of sustainability.

Bloody history
Tribal history of local communities is full of age-old legends and victory stories passed from generation to generation. Many of them mention ritualistic crimes and acts of cannibalism, which are an inseparable part of Fiji's cultural heritage. Although cannibalism is long gone, you can still visit Wasavula Ceremonial Site where the ghosts of the past remind you of gloomy history of the nation. As a souvenir, you can bring home a brain picker, a club, or a cannibal fork, which are the exact replicas of tools used by tribes during

cannibalism times.

Ball's out!
If rugby were not invented in England in the 19th century, you could think that the birth place of this sport was either Viti Levu or Vanua Levu, two biggest islands of Fiji. Sport sections of the most popular newspapers – FijiLife and FijiVillage – are overflowing with rugby news. And Fijians love it, as the nation seems to be obsessed with rugby, with an estimated 60,000 senior players and 20,000 schoolchildren. Before every game each team performs a traditional war dance called the Bole, literally meaning war cry. Read more about it at (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/rugby-world-cup/11871886/Never-mind-the-haka-heres-the-Bole.html)

Have some Kava
Kava is considered Fiji's national drink. It is believed to have medicinal, as well as slightly intoxicating effect. Whenever you arrive at any Fijian village, do make sure to bring a kava root for village chief, because it is customary for visitors to bring a kava root or powder as a sign of respect. If you are lucky, you might be invited to participate in a traditional kava ceremony, which gathers the entire community.

Back to the Future
Believe it or not – time traveling is not a myth, at least not in Fiji where The International Date Line (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Date_Line) runs through Taveuni Island. Although scientists collectively agree that time is just an arbitrary concept simply used to set unified standards for the entire planet, a situation when your one foot is in a different date zone than the other is quite a metaphysical experience, don't you agree?

These were our 6 facts about Fiji we believe you should know before you set out on a journey to this breathtakingly beautiful place. Would you add something else to the list?