ABSTRACT
Fiji consists of over 300 islands and islets in the South Pacific Ocean of which approximately 110 islands are inhabited. Endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources; Fiji is one of the most developed of the Pacific Island economies. The main sources of income are derived from sugar processing and from the tourist industry. European, American, and Australian settlers introduced the concept of land boundaries with monuments, and surveys of properties derived from native people started as early as the 1840s. Penny-pinching for survey operations continued for a quarter-century or so until a comprehensive geodetic survey was realized to be the only solution to a critical need for unified positional control. On October 26, 1908, Captain Ley, an officer of the Corps of Royal Engineers arrived in Fiji with Mr. Travis Rimmer, his civilian assistant. In 1978, two senior personnel from the New Zealand Department of Lands and Survey undertook a review of survey and mapping activities in Fiji.
