Ba is a province of Fiji, occupying the north-western sector of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is one of fourteen Provinces in the nation, and one of eight based in Viti Levu. It is Fiji's most populous Province, with a population of 192,197 - more than a quarter of the nation's total - at the 1996census, the last to date. It covers a land area of 2634 square kilometres, the second largest of any Province. Ba Province includes the towns and districts of Ba, Magodro, Nadi, Nawaka, Tavua, and Vuda. The City of Lautoka and the Yasawaarchipelago, off the western coast of Viti Levu, are also in Ba Province. Noted residents of Ba Province include Fiji's current President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo and the Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, Ratu Ovini Bokini. Former Prime MinistersTimoci Bavadra and Mahendra Chaudhry, both of whom were deposed in coups, were also from Ba Province. Vuda Point, in Ba Province, is the traditional landing of the canoes that brought the Melanesian ancestors of the Fijian people to the islands. The nearby village of Viseisei (President Iloilo's hometown) is traditionally considered to be the oldest in Fiji. The Province is governed by a Provincial Council, which is chaired by Ratu Ovini Bokini.
