Rotuma is a dependency of Fiji.
Rotuma is a remote island group in the Pacific, located about 500 kilometers north of Fiji’s main islands. Administratively, it is incorporated into Fiji, but it has a distinctive local political system and greater autonomy than most Fijian subdivisions. The Rotuma Act defines the dependency as Rotuma Island together with neighboring islands, rocks, and reefs in the Rotuma Group.
The island’s political history explains the answer. Rotuma was ceded to the United Kingdom on May 13, 1881, and became part of independent Fiji when Fiji gained independence on October 10, 1970. Its local government includes seven districts, each traditionally headed by a chief, with representatives serving on the Rotuma Island Council.
A common source of confusion is cultural rather than political. Rotumans are Polynesian, and Rotuman culture and language have closer ties to islands such as Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, Futuna, and Uvea than to many neighboring Fijian communities. Despite that Polynesian identity, Rotuma’s recognized political affiliation is with Fiji. Most Rotumans now live elsewhere in Fiji, while only a smaller population remains on Rotuma itself.