Batiki (, also known as Mbatiki in English) is an island of

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

belonging to the Lomaiviti Archipelago. The island is of volcanic origin, with a land area of about 12 square kilometers. To the north-east is

Wakaya Island Wakaya is a privately owned island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.65° South and 179.02° East, it covers an area of . It is to the east of Ovalau, the main island in the Lomaiviti Group. Two other islands close to Wakaya are ...

, to the east is

Nairai Nairai is an island of Fiji belonging to the Lomaiviti Archipelago. The island is of volcanic origin and has a land area of about 30 square kilometers. To the west of the island is Batiki, and to the south-west is Gau. Its population of more th ...

, and to the south-east is Gau. Batiki's population of approximately 300

Fijians Fijians () are a nation and ethnic group Indigenous peoples of Oceania, native to Fiji, who speak Fijian language, Fijian and English language, English and share a common history and culture. Fijians, or ''iTaukei'', are the major indigenous ...

lives in coastal villages. The economic activity of the island consists of farming and fishing. There are four villages on the island: Manuku, Mua, Naigani, and Yavu. Mua village is home to the residence of the chief, island pastor, the health clinic center, a single flat-primary school building with a boarding facility and playground.

Geography

The presence of nests of the critically endangered

hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largel ...

has been recorded on the island.

History

The island was devastated by Cyclone Winston in 2016, with Naigani village being affected the most. The high chief of Batiki since January 2012, '' Torau Ni Bau'' Ratu Inoke Tuidelaibatiki Virivirilau, died on 4 February 2017.

Demographics

Batiki had a population of 324 people as of the 1966 census, and 483 as of the 2007 census.

Economy

The main source of income is from

copra Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...

pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified ...

(), small-scale farming, and fishing, with fish being sold to the markets in

Suva Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...

. There is a

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class (biology), class Holothuroidea ( ). They are benthic marine animals found on the sea floor worldwide, and the number of known holothuroid species worldwide is about 1,786, with the greatest number be ...

fishery, which mainly involves male youths. By 1987 a commercial

seaweed farm Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

was established on Batiki. As of 2009 there were 42 farms on Batiki, with a total area of 13 hectares. Another important source of income for the locals is the Bula Batiki coconut oil firm, whose products are made from the island's bountiful coconut palms. This business was started in 2015 by a British man named Callum Drummond, known as Kelevi by the islanders, when he won a grant from

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

for the project. The two other co-founders are Ellis Williams and Tim McKee. In 2020 a coconut oil processing plant designed by CAUKIN Studio was built at Yavu village.

Infrastructure

There is a primary school on the island, Manuku District School, with 71 students as of 2016 and 4 teachers. There is also a nursing station at Mua village staffed by a registered nurse. Critical cases are referred either to Qarani Health Centre or

Levuka Levuka () is a Local government in Fiji, town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau (Fiji), Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division, Fiji, Eastern Division of Fiji. Prior to 1877, it was the capital of Fiji. At the ...

Hospital. The nursing station opening hours are from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on a daily basis, but it is also on standby after hours in case of emergencies. The island has no airport or roads, so most transport is by local

cargo vessel A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usual ...

s, small fibreglass boats, or via a shipping franchise that services the Lomaiviti archipelago on a monthly basis.

Notable people

* Taufa Vakatale (1938–2023), politician and educator.

References

Islands of Fiji Lomaiviti Province {{Fiji-geo-stub