Vanua Levu
´ä lā´v) or Sandalwood Island, volcanic island, 2,137 sq mi (5,535 sq km), S Pacific, second largest of the Fiji Islands. Nasoro Levu, or Mt. Thurston (3,139 ft/960 m), is the highest peak. The Dreketi is the principal river. The large east peninsula is connected with the rest of the island by a narrow isthmus. There are gold mines and sugarcane plantations on Vanua Levu.