The best sources for data and maps about the specific island countries are their tourist information offices.
A good source for general information is www.spto.org (formerly the South Pacific Tourism Organization), P.O. Box 13119, Suva, Fiji Islands (tel. 679/330-4177 in Fiji.
The U.S. Department of State maintains a Travel Advisory (tel. 202/647-5225; http://travel.state.gov) to keep you abreast of political or other problems throughout the world and posts travel warnings and other timely information.
The East-West Center at the University of Hawaii gathers news from throughout the islands on its Pacific Islands Report website, http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport. It's an excellent source for breaking news, and it has links to newspapers, news services, universities, and other useful sites.
Other useful sites for regional news are posted by the Hawaii-based Pacific Magazine (www.pacificmagazine.net) and Fiji-based Islands Business Magazine (www.islandsbusiness.com).
The best place to order quality maps of the region is from Maptown Ltd. (www.maptown.com). The Perry-Castañeda Library at the University of Texas at Austin posts free maps of the region on its website at www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/australia.html. Other free sources are www.mapsouthpacific.com, www.maps-pacific.com, and www.worldatlas.com.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
