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). A 1990 constitution favored native Melanesian control of Fiji but led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. Amendments enacted in 1997 made the constitution more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian but a 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 and gave a mandate to the government of Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE.

Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S 175 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 18,270 km²
Water: 0 km²
Land: 18,270 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% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Geography
Note: includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited

Population: 868,531 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 1.41% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 25.5% (1990-91)

Nationality
Noun: Fijian
Adjective: Fijian

Ethnic groups: Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture) Indian 44% European other Pacific Islanders overseas Chinese and other 5% (1998 est.)

Languages: English (official) Fijian Hindustani

Religions
Note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority (1986)

Age structure
0-14 years: 32% (male 141,979; female 136,378)
15-64 years: 64.1% (male 278,759; female 278,150)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 15,329; female 17,936) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 23.7 years
Male: 23.3 years
Female: 24.2 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 1.41% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 23.06 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 5.7 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.24 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 13.35 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.89 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 14.75 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.88 years
Male: 66.43 years
Female: 71.44 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.81 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 300 (2001 est.)
Deaths: NA

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

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands
Conventional short form: Fiji

Government type
Note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987

Capital: Suva

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

Independence: 10 October 1970 (from UK)

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

Constitution: promulgated on 25 July 1990 and amended on 25 July 1997 to allow nonethnic Fijians greater say in government and to make multiparty government mandatory; entered into force 28 July 1998; note - the May 1999 election was the first test of the amended constitution and introduced open voting - not racially prescribed - for the first time at the national level

Legal system: based on British system

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since NA 2000); Vice President Jope SENILOLI (since NA 2000)
Head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament; note - there is also a Presidential Council that advises the president on matters of national importance and a Great Council of Chiefs, which consists of the highest ranking members of the traditional chief system
Elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term; prime minister appointed by the president
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 25 August through 1 September, 19 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2006)
Election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - FLP 34.8%, SDL 26%, NFP 10.1%, MV 9.9%, independents 2.7%, other 16.5%; seats by party - NA

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

Political parties and leaders: Bai Kei Viti Party or BKV [Ratu Tevita MOMOEDONU]; Conservative Alliance Party/Matanitu Vanua or MV [Ratu Rakuita VAKALALABURE]; Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Felipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE] Fijian Association Party or FAP [Adi Kuini SPEED] Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Felipe BOLE] and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Tupeni BABA]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDRHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP [leader NA] (became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP [leader NA]; Justice and Freedom Party or AIM [leader NA]; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR [leader NA]; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU [Meli BOGILEKA]; Party of the Truth or POTT [leader NA]; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE]; United General Party or UGP [Millis Mick BEDDOES]

International organization participation: ACP AsDB C CP ESCAP FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO (subscriber) ITU OPCW PCA Sparteca SPC SPF UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL UNIKOM UNMIBH UNMIK UNMISET UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Anare JALE
In the us fax: [1] (202) 337-1996
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 337-8,320
In the us chancery: 2,233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20,007
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador David L. LYON
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

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 and a growing tourist industry - with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity. Long-term problems include low investment uncertain land ownership rights and the government's ability to manage its budget.

Real gdp growth rate: 4.6% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 17%
Industry: 25%
Services: 58% (2000 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 including subsistence agriculture 70% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.6% (1999)

Population below poverty line: 25.5% (1990-91)

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

Budget
Revenues: $427.9 million
Expenditures: $531.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (2002 est.)

Exports: $442 million f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: sugar garments gold timber fish molasses coconut oil
Partners: US 25.1% Australia 19.5% UK 10.6% Japan 6.3% Samoa 5.5% (2002)

Imports: $642 million c.i.f. (2001)
Commodities: manufactured goods machinery and transport equipment petroleum products food chemicals
Partners: Australia 37.3% New Zealand 17.2% Singapore 16.1% Japan 4.2% China 4% (2002)

Debt external: $135.9 million (2000)

Exchange rates: Fijian dollars per US dollar - 2.19 (2002) 2.28 (2001) 2.13 (2000) 1.97 (1999) 1.99 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 520.1 million kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 18.5%
Production by source hydro: 81.5%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 483.7 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 80,901 (1999)
Mobile cellular: 5,200 (1997)

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: NA
International: access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .fj
Service providers isps: 2 (2000)
Users: 15,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $39.21 million (FY02)
Percent of gdp: 2.2% (FY02)

Airports: 27 (2002)
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 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 24
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 18 (2002)

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 September) (2002)

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

Merchant marine
Total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,870 GRT/14,787 DWT
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Singapore 4
Ships by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1

Disputes international: none