It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. In , the capital of Fiji was moved to Suva from Levuka , the main European colonial settlement at the time, due to the restrictive geography and environs of the latter. The administration of the colony was transferred from Levuka to Suva in As of the census, the city of Suva had a population of 93,, [ 1 ] and Suva's metropolitan area, which includes its independent suburbs, had a population of , Suva is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Fiji.
It is also the economic and cultural capital of the South Pacific, hosting the majority of the regional headquarters of major international corporations, international agencies, and diplomatic missions.
The city also has a thriving arts and performance scene, and a growing reputation as the region's fashion capital. In , when Suva was still a small village, the Bauan chieftain , Seru Epenisa Cakobau , granted 5, km 2 1, sq mi of land to the Australian-based Polynesia Company, in exchange for the company's promise to pay off debts owed to the United States. More than a tenth of this land area, km 2 sq mi , was located near Suva. The company's original intention was to develop a cotton farming industry, but the land and climate proved unsuitable.
In , control of the Fiji Islands was ceded to the United Kingdom. In , the colonial authorities decided to move the capital to Suva from Levuka , Ovalau, Lomaiviti, because Levuka's location between a steep mountain and the sea made any expansion of the town impractical. Colonel F. Pratt of the Royal Engineers was appointed Surveyor-General in and designed the new capital in Suva, assisted by W. Stephens and Colonel R. The transfer of the administration to Suva was made official in In , Suva acquired the status of a municipality, under the Municipal Constitution Ordinance of Its area remained one square mile until when Suva annexed the Muanikau and Samabula wards , expanding its territory to 13 km 2 5.
In October of that year, Suva was officially designated a city β Fiji's first. Suva later annexed Tamavua. Most recently, Suva further extended its boundaries by incorporating the Cunningham area at its northern edge. Since then, urban sprawl has led to the growth of a number of suburbs that remain outside the city limits.
