Map of Fiji | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Fiji became independent in 1970 after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987 caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian but a civilian-led coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Re-elected in May 2006 QARASE was ousted in a December 2006 military coup led by Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA who initially appointed himself acting president. In January 2007 BAINIMARAMA was appointed interim prime minister.


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Location: Oceania island group in the South Pacific Ocean about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S 175 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 18,270 km²
Land: 18,270 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1129 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added

Climate: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m

Natural resources: timber fish gold copper offshore oil potential hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 10.95%
Permanent crops: 4.65%
Other: 84.4% (2005)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Geography
Note: includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited


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Population: 918,675 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 1.394% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: 25.5% (FY90/91)

Nationality
Noun: Fijian
Adjective: Fijian

Ethnic groups: Fijian 54.8% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture) Indian 37.4% other 7.9% (European other Pacific Islanders Chinese) (2005 estimate)

Languages: English (official) Fijian (official) Hindustani

Religions: Christian 53% (Methodist 34.5% Roman Catholic 7.2% Assembly of God 3.8% Seventh Day Adventist 2.6% other 4.9%) Hindu 34% (Sanatan 25% Arya Samaj 1.2% other 7.8%) Muslim 7% (Sunni 4.2%. other 2.8%) other or unspecified 5.6% none 0.3% (1996 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 30.9% (male 144,665/female 138,816)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 297,709/female 296,897)
65 years and over: 4.4% (male 18,397/female 22,191) (2007 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 24.9 years
Male: 24.4 years
Female: 25.4 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.394% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 22.37 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 5.66 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.78 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.042 male/female
15-64 years: 1.003 male/female
65 years and over: 0.829 male/female
Total population: 1.006 male/female (2007 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.99 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 13.3 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 10.61 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.12 years
Male: 67.6 years
Female: 72.76 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 600 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93.7%
Male: 95.5%
Female: 91.9% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands
Conventional short form: Fiji
Local long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti
Local short form: Fiji/Viti

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Suva (on Viti Levu)
Geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E
Time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central Eastern Northern Rotuma* Western

Dependent areas

Independence: 10 October 1970 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day second Monday of October (1970)

Constitution: enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998

Legal system: based on British system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 2000); note - ILOILOVATU was reaffirmed as president by the Great Council of Chiefs in a statement issued on 22 December, and reappointed by the coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA in January 2007
Head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000); note - although QARASE is still the legal prime minister, he has been confined to his home island; the president appointed Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA interim prime minister under the military regime
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament; note - coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA has appointed an interim cabinet
Elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006
Election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Representatives - last held 6-13 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
Election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - SDL 44.6%, FLP 39.2%, UPP 0.8%, independents 4.9%, other 10.5%; seats by party - SDL 36, FLP 31, UPP 2, independents 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders: Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE] Fijian Association Party or FAP Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni RABUKA] and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP (became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP; Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA]; Party of the Truth or POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE]; United Peoples Party or UPP [Millis Mick BEDDOES]

International organization participation: ACP AsDB C CP FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA OPCW PCA PIF Sparteca SPC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIS UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Penijamini R. LOMALOMA
In the us chancery: 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 466-8,320
In the us fax: [1] (202) 466-8,325
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Miles DINGER
From the us embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva
From the us telephone: [679] 331-4,466
From the us fax: [679] 330-0081

Flag description: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane a palm tree bananas and a white dove

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Fiji endowed with forest mineral and fish resources is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies though still with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports remittances from Fijians working abroad and a growing tourist industry - with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Fiji's sugar has special access to European Union markets but will be harmed by the EU's decision to cut sugar subsidies. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but is not efficient. Fiji's tourism industry was damaged by the 2006 coup and is facing an uncertain recovery time. Long-term problems include low investment uncertain land ownership rights and the government's inability to manage its budget. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased significantly.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $5.594 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.1% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $6,200 (2006 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 8.9%
Industry: 13.5%
Services: 77.6% (2004 est.)

Agriculture products: sugarcane coconuts cassava (tapioca) rice sweet potatoes bananas; cattle pigs horses goats; fish

Industries: tourism sugar clothing copra gold silver lumber small cottage industries

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 137,000 (1999)
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry and services: 30% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.6% (1999)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 25.5% (FY90/91)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $720.5 million
Expenditures: $728.3 million (2005 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3% (2005)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares: $586.7 million (2005)

Current account balance: $-465.8 million (2006 est.)

Exports: $719.6 million f.o.b. (2005)
Commodities: sugar garments gold timber fish molasses coconut oil
Partners: US 16.8% Australia 13.9% UK 13.5% Japan 5.3% Samoa 4.7% Tonga 4.1% (2006)

Imports: $1.462 billion c.i.f. (2005)
Commodities: manufactured goods machinery and transport equipment petroleum products food chemicals
Partners: Singapore 28.8% Australia 23.3% NZ 16.8% China 4.7% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $127 million (2004 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: Fijian dollars per US dollar - 1.7313 (2006) 1.691 (2005) 1.7331 (2004) 1.8958 (2003) 2.1869 (2002)


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Electricity
Production: 1.046 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 972.8 million kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2005 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 112,500 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 205,000 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center
Domestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone exchanges and direct dialing; combined fixed and mobile-cellular density is about 35 per 100 persons
International: country code - 679; access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .fj
Hosts: 12,137 (2007)
Users: 80,000 (2006)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 2.2% (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 45 (2006)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 28 (2007)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 25
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 597 km
Narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge
Note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 3,440 km
Paved: 1,692 km
Unpaved: 1,748 km (1999)

Waterways
Note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2006)

Merchant marine
Total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 17,376 GRT/8,788 DWT
By type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2
Foreign owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Lambasa Lautoka Suva


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs