The Lau Islands are an island group in Fiji, lying in the South Pacific east of the Koro Sea.
Also called the Lau Group or Eastern Archipelago, the chain includes roughly 60 islands and islets, about 30 of which are inhabited. Administratively, the islands belong to Fiji’s Lau Province and form part of the country’s Eastern Division. Major islands include Vanua Balavu, Cicia, Lakeba, and Moala.
The group has a notable geological contrast. Northern Lau contains many high islands of volcanic origin, while the southern islands are mostly low carbonate islands built from coral and other limestone material. Together, the islands cover about 487 square kilometres. The 2007 census recorded 10,683 people across the group.
Lau is sometimes confused with the Lau Basin or Lau Ridge, which are neighbouring geological features rather than countries or alternative names for Fiji. The islands also have strong historical and cultural links with Tonga because of their position in the central Pacific and long-standing regional contacts, but politically they are part of Fiji. Fiji’s capital, Suva, is on Viti Levu, far west of the Lau chain.