Fiji
| Use attributes for filter ! | |
| Capital | Suva |
|---|---|
| Population | 905,502 (2017) |
| Currency | Fijian dollar |
| Official_languages | Fijian |
| English | |
| Fiji Hindi | |
| Date of Reg. | |
| Date of Upd. | |
| ID | 688290 |
About Fiji
Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago of more than 300 islands. It's famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with clear lagoons. Its major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, contain most of the population. Viti Levu is home to the capital, Suva, a port city with British colonial architecture. The Fiji Museum, in the Victorian-era Thurston Gardens, has ethnographic exhibits.
Covid: Booster study finds Omicron protection and Ireland lifts rules
... Some 36 people on the flight from Fiji - all were fully-vaccinated - have tested positive...
Tonga eruption: How its impact spread so widely and violently
... The explosion was heard across the Pacific, from Fiji to Alaska...
Tonga eruption: How its impact spread so widely and violently
A massive volcanic eruption in Tonga, on Saturday, triggered a tsunami that spread across The Pacific in a matter of hours.
Waves hit Australia, New Zealand and Japan as well as The West coasts of North and South America .
An atmospheric shockwave was detected around The World and a huge ash Cloud has covered Pacific islands for hundreds of miles.
Here's what we know about how and why it spread so widely and violently.
Where is Tonga?Tonga is made up of about 170 islands, many uninhabited, about 2,000 miles (3,300km) east of Australia.
The Volcano , Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai, sits 40 miles north of the capital.
On Saturday, the centre of The Volcano sank, disappearing under The Sea .
About two hours later, it erupted, with devastating force.
When the eruption had ended, almost all of The Volcano and The Land around it had disappeared.
The eruption set off a massive atmospheric shockwave travelling at about 300m (1,000ft) per second.
Pressure changes were detected on The Other side of The World , in Europe, 15 hours later.
The Explosion was heard across The Pacific , from Fiji to Alaska.
The Bbc is not responsible for the content of external sites. How quickly did The Tsunami spread?Waves from The Tsunami spread rapidly across The Pacific .
They took less than five hours to reach New Zealand , about 10 to reach Alaska.
Experts say The Tsunami may have been caused by the collapse of debris on The Ocean floor and boosted by the pressure wave pushing down on The Surface of the water.
The Waves continued through Sunday and were still being recorded in Australia on Monday.
Tsunami waves can be much more destructive than normal waves, even when they are not particularly high.
A normal wave might take 15 seconds to wash up The Shore and flow back out.
Some of The Tsunami waves in Australia were under 1m But lasted almost 30 Minutes .
They kept moving onshore for 15 Minutes and took about 15 Minutes to move back out.
Why was the eruption so violent?The exact reasons why this eruption was so violent are still being assessed by experts.
Some believe the speed with which the molten magma was blasted out of The Volcano may have played a big part.
When magma filled with Volcanic Gas is forced through sea water at High Speed , there is no time for a layer of steam to Cool It .
And this " fuel-coolant interaction" causes a massive chemical explosion, researchers say.
Deeper water could have suppressed this - But The Volcano 's surface was just 150-200m under The Sea .
What is The Situation on the ground now?Communications with Tonga have been largely destroyed, Making It difficult to assess the scale of the destruction.
Internet and telephone communications are extremely limited and outlying coastal areas remain cut off.
The Red Cross said even satellite phones, used by many aid agencies, had poor service because of the ash Cloud .
Your device may not support this visualisation
The organisation estimates up to 80,000 people may have been affected by The Tsunami .
The dust from The Volcano could contaminate water supplies, with locals advised to drink Bottled Water and wear masks.
The government of New Zealand , which has been helping assess the destruction, says the western coast of Tongatapu, Tonga's main island, has seen " significant damage".
Source of news: bbc.com
