Levuka Historical Port Town

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Levuka Historical Port Town: A Unique Blend of Colonial and Indigenous Architecture

The Levuka Historical Port Town, located on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, stands as a remarkable testament to the fusion of colonial and indigenous architectural styles. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, this picturesque town offers a unique insight into the development of late 19th-century Pacific port settlements.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The town and its low line of buildings set among coconut and mango trees along the beach front was the first colonial capital of Fiji, ceded to the British in 1874. It developed from the early 19th century as a centre of commercial activity by Americans and Europeans who built warehouses, stores, port facilities, residences, and religious, educational and social institutions around the villages of the South Pacific island’s indigenous population. It is a rare example of a late colonial port town that was influenced in its development by the indigenous community which continued to outnumber the European settlers. Thus the town, an outstanding example of late 19th century Pacific port settlements, reflects the integration of local building traditions by a supreme naval power, leading to the emergence of a unique landscape.

Encyclopedia Record: Levuka

Levuka is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji. Prior to 1877, it was the capital of Fiji. At the census in 2007, the last to date, Levuka town had a population of 1,131, about half of Ovalau's 8,900 inhabitants. It is the economic hub and the largest of 24 settlements on the island. Having been nominated decades prior, Levuka was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2013, in recognition of the port town's exceptional testimony to the late colonial port towns in the Pacific.

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