Colony of Fiji

This detailed overview of the British colony of Fiji was drawn by Aubrey V. Guy (Lands and Survey Department, Suva) and printed by the Ordnance Survey Office in 1938. The vibrant composition offers a detailed overview of the archipelago in the South Pacific just a few years before it would be forever changed by the outbreak of World War II. Inset maps show the Lau Group, plus the isolated isles of Rotuma (upper left) and Thikombia (upper right). Roads, railways, and ‘native tracks’ are among the available transportation options, traversing the rugged mountains, mangrove swamps, and coastal beaches. The British presence, both commercial and military, is reinforced through government stations, radio stations, sugar mills, and lighthouses. Prominent geographic features and native villages are also labeled. Example at the National Library of Australia;