Lau Province is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji. Its capital is at Tubou, at the southern end of the island of Lakeba. The province forms part of the country's Eastern Division (which also includes the provinces of Kadavu and Lomaiviti), and of the Tovata Confederacy, a traditional hierarchy of chiefs from northern and eastern Fiji.
Geographically it consists of the Lau Archipelago. The Lau group comprises 57 islands, 19 of which are inhabited, and has a total land area of around 490 square kilometres (190 sq mi).[1] At the most recent census in 2017, it had a population of 9,602, down from 10,683 in 2007 and 14,500 in 1976, making it the third-least populous province.[2][3] As of 2007, about 57,500 people born in Lau Province lived elsewhere in Fiji.[1]
In 2021 Lau Province banned spearfishing at night in order to protect the marine ecosystem and biodiversity.[4][5] Previously, communities from more than 30% of the province had banned the practice.[6]
