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Lautoka is the second largest city in Fiji, located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu. It is the nation's second port of entry and is known as the Sugar City because of the fact that there's a large sugar mill plonked in the middle of the city.

Economic Activities - Sugar, of course, is a big source of seasonal employment in the Sugar City. The Lautoka Sugar Mill was built for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji) (CSR) and it used imported labourers from India and the Solomon Islands between 1899 and 1903 to develop the then fledgling industry. Around 1300 people have jobs because of the mill.

A sugar train hauling cut stalks to the mill for crushing

Other industries include timber milling, garment manufacturing, a distillery (where the best rum in the world is made!), a brewery, jewellery, blending, steelworks, fishing, hatchery, domestic items, paints, and construction.

Landmarks in Lautoka

• FSC Lautoka Mill
• Abaca National Park
• White ‘chip’ Hill

History -Folklore has it that the city got its name from a boisterous encounter between two chiefs. Apparently one speared the other and victoriously exclaimed “Lau-toka!”, which translated to English means "spear hit".

White men first saw Lautoka in May 1789 (thus that was when Lautoka was proclaimed as being "discovered"). Captain William Bligh spotted and roughly charted the coasts of Lautoka while making his epic voyage to Timor after he was kicked off his ship by mutineers. He wanted to stop in Fiji during that long journey adrift in a dinghy - but Fijians were still cannibals at the time so it was a good thing he decided to keep going.

Politics -Lautoka was a town in 1929 and proclaimed a city on 25 February 1977 (an issue that had more to do with the size of the population than the services available). The city is governed by a council, whose members are elected by city dwellers. The chosen few then elect a Mayor.

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