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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). 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. |
|
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
references: |
Oceania |
|
Area: |
total:
18,270 sq km
land: 18,270 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
|
Area -
comparative: |
slightly smaller than New
Jersey |
|
Land
boundaries: |
0 km |
|
Coastline: |
1,129 km |
|
Maritime
claims: |
measured from claimed
archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation;
rectilinear shelf claim added |
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Climate: |
tropical marine; only
slight seasonal temperature variation |
|
Terrain: |
mostly mountains of
volcanic origin |
|
Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m |
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Natural
resources: |
timber, fish, gold, copper,
offshore oil potential, hydropower |
|
Land use: |
arable land:
10.95%
permanent crops: 4.65%
other: 84.4% (2001) |
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Irrigated
land: |
30 sq km (1998 est.)
|
|
Natural
hazards: |
cyclonic storms can occur
from November to January |
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Environment -
current issues: |
deforestation; soil erosion
|
|
Environment -
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
|
Geography -
note: |
includes 332 islands of
which approximately 110 are inhabited |
|
Population: |
893,354 (July 2005 est.)
|
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Age structure: |
0-14 years:
31.4% (male 143,066/female 137,346)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 288,434/female 287,720)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 16,797/female 19,991) (2005 est.)
|
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Median age: |
total:
24.28 years
male: 23.84 years
female: 24.74 years (2005 est.) |
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Population
growth rate: |
1.4% (2005 est.)
|
|
Birth rate: |
22.73 births/1,000
population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate: |
5.65 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.) |
|
Net migration
rate: |
-3.04 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
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Infant
mortality rate: |
total:
12.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
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Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
69.53 years
male: 67.05 years
female: 72.14 years (2005 est.) |
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Total
fertility rate: |
2.75 children born/woman
(2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS -
adult prevalence rate: |
0.1% (2003 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS: |
600 (2003 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS -
deaths: |
less than 200 (2003 est.)
|
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Nationality: |
noun:
Fijian(s)
adjective: Fijian |
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Ethnic groups: |
Fijian 51% (predominantly
Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other
Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) |
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Religions: |
Christian 52% (Methodist
37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2%
note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is
a Muslim minority (1986) |
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Languages: |
English (official), Fijian,
Hindustani |
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Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 95.5%
female: 91.9% (2003 est.) |
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Country name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of the Fiji Islands
conventional short form: Fiji |
|
Government
type: |
republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally
declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987 |
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Capital: |
Suva (Viti Levu)
|
|
Administrative
divisions: |
4 divisions and 1
dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western |
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Independence: |
10 October 1970 (from UK) |
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National
holiday: |
Independence Day, second
Monday of October (1970) |
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Constitution: |
promulgated on 25 July
1990; amended on 25 July 1997 to allow nonethnic Fijians greater say in
government and to make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July
1998 |
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Legal system: |
based on British system
|
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Suffrage: |
21 years of age; universal
|
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Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 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% |
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Legislative
branch: |
bicameral Parliament
consists of the Senate (34 seats; 24 appointed by the President on the
advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, nine appointed by the president,
and one appointed by the council of Rotuma) and the House of
Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for
ethnic Indians, three reserved for other ethnic groups, one reserved for
the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25
open seats; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 25 August through 1
September and 19 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September
2006)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - FLP 26.5%, SDL 27.5%, NFP 1.2%, MV 4.2%, NLUP 1.3%, UGP .3%,
independents 1.4%; seats by party - FLP 27, SDL 32, MV 6, NFP 1, NLUP 2,
UGP 1, independents 2 |
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Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court (judges are
appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates'
Courts |
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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] |
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Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
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International
organization participation: |
ACP, AsDB, C, CP, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF,
Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Mr. Paula NAVUNISARAVI (Charge D'Affaires ad Interim)
chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 |
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Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador David L. LYON
embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva
mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva
telephone: [679] 331-4466
FAX: [679] 330-0081 |
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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 |
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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 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, but is inefficient. Long-term
problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the
government's ability to manage its budget. Yet short-run economic
prospects are good, provided tensions do not again erupt between
indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Overseas remittances from Fijians
working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased significantly. |
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GDP
(purchasing power parity): |
$5.173 billion (2004 est.)
|
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GDP - real
growth rate: |
3.6% (2004 est.)
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GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$5,900 (2004 est.) |
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GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture:
16.6%
industry: 22.4%
services: 61% (2001 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
137,000 (1999) |
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Labor force -
by occupation: |
agriculture, including
subsistence agriculture 70% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment
rate: |
7.6% (1999) |
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Population
below poverty line: |
25.5% (1990-91)
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Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
1.6% (2002 est.)
|
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Budget: |
revenues:
$427.9 million
expenditures: $531.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.) |
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Agriculture -
products: |
sugarcane, coconuts,
cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses,
goats; fish |
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Industries: |
tourism, sugar, clothing,
copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries |
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Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA |
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Electricity -
production: |
750 million kWh (2002)
|
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Electricity -
production by source: |
fossil fuel:
18.5%
hydro: 81.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity -
consumption: |
697.5 million kWh (2002)
|
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Electricity -
exports: |
0 kWh (2002) |
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Electricity -
imports: |
0 kWh (2002) |
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Oil -
production: |
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil -
consumption: |
5,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports: |
NA |
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Oil - imports: |
NA |
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Exports: |
$609 million f.o.b. (2002)
|
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Exports -
commodities: |
sugar, garments, gold,
timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil |
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Exports -
partners: |
US 24%, Australia 19%, UK
12.6%, Samoa 6.5%, Japan 4.1% (2004) |
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Imports: |
$835 million c.i.f. (2002)
|
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Imports -
commodities: |
manufactured goods,
machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals
|
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Imports -
partners: |
Australia 25.9%, Singapore
23.1%, New Zealand 21.1% (2004) |
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Debt -
external: |
$188.1 million (2001 est.)
|
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Economic aid -
recipient: |
$40.3 million (1995)
|
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Currency
(code): |
Fijian dollar (FJD)
|
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Currency code: |
FJD |
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Exchange
rates: |
Fijian dollars per US
dollar - 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003), 2.1869 (2002), 2.2766 (2001),
2.1286 (2000) |
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Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
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Telephones -
main lines in use: |
102,000 (2003) |
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Telephones -
mobile cellular: |
109,900 (2003) |
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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: country code - 679; access to important cable links
between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
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Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0
(1998) |
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Radios: |
541,476 (1999) |
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Television
broadcast stations: |
NA |
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Televisions: |
88,110 (1999) |
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Internet
country code: |
.fj |
|
Internet
hosts: |
493 (2003) |
|
Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
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Internet
users: |
55,000 (2003) |
|
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) (2003)
|
|
Highways: |
total:
3,440 km
paved: 1,692 km
unpaved: 1,748 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways: |
203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges
(2004) |
|
Ports and
harbors: |
Lambasa, Lautoka, Suva
|
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Merchant
marine: |
total:
7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,372 GRT/7,453 DWT
by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2005) |
|
Airports: |
28 (2004 est.) |
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Airports -
with paved runways: |
total:
3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports -
with unpaved runways: |
total:
25
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 19 (2004 est.) |
|
Military
branches: |
Republic of Fiji Military
Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Division (2005) |
|
Military
service age and obligation: |
18 years of age for
voluntary military service (2001) |
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Manpower
available for military service: |
males age 18-49:
215,104 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit
for military service: |
males age 18-49:
163,960 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower
reaching military service age annually: |
males:
9,266 (2005 est.) |
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Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$36 million (2004)
|
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Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.2% (FY02) |
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Transnational Issues |
Fiji |
|
Disputes -
international: |
none |
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