| 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 of
2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. New
elections are scheduled for August 2001. |
| 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 |
| Area: |
total:
18,270 sq km
land: 18,270 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than New Jersey |
| Maritime
claims: |
measured from
claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth
of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| 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 |
| Natural
resources: |
timber, fish,
gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
10%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 10%
forests and woodland: 65%
other: 11% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
10 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
cyclonic storms
can occur from November to January |
| 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, Nuclear Test Ban, 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: |
844,330 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
32.92% (male 141,724; female 136,216)
15-64 years: 63.52% (male 268,411; female
267,871)
65 years and over: 3.56% (male 14,007; female
16,101) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.41% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
23.33
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.75 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-3.45 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| 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: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
14.08
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 68.25 years
male: 65.83 years
female: 70.78 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.86 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.07% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Fijian(s)
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.) |
| 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) |
| Languages: |
English
(official), Fijian, Hindustani |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.6%
male: 93.8%
female: 89.3% (1995 est.) |
| 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 |
| 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: |
10 October 1970
(suspended 1 October 1987); a new constitution was proposed
on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25 July 1990;
amended 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: |
note:
armed ethnic Fijian terrorists, led by George SPEIGHT
stormed the Parliament building on 19 May 2000; ethnic
Indo-Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra CHAUDHRY and his
government were held hostage for 56 days; following the
attempted coup, the Commander of the Fiji Military Forces,
naval Commodore Frank BAINIMARAMA declared martial law and
dissolved the government on 29 May 2000; an interim
government, headed by interim Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE,
was appointed to serve until a new constitution was
initiated and subsequent elections held; in November 2000,
Fiji's High Court upheld the 1997 constitution and ruled
that Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA remained the president; Justice
Anthony GATES concluded that MARA should recall the pre-May
19th Parliament and appoint a prime minister to form a new
government; the Fiji Court of Appeals upheld GATES' decision
on 1 March 2001; it ruled that the 1997 constitution had not
been abrogated, Parliament had not been dissolved, only
prorogued for six months, and that the presidency remained
vacant since MARA's resignation took effect 15 December
2000; President Ratu Josefa ILOILO reinstated QARASE's
interim government as the caretaker government and elections
were scheduled for August 2001; approximately 23 fluid
political parties are currently jockeying for power
chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILO
(since NA 2000); Vice President Jope SENILOLI (since NA
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia
QARASE (since NA 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Epeli
NAILATIKAU (since NA 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
chiefly 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 ILOILO elected
president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote -
NA% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by
the Great Council of Chiefs, nine appointed by the prime
minister, eight appointed by the leader of the opposition,
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;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held
11 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004)
election results: House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Fiji Labor
Party 37, others 34 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court
(judges are appointed by the president) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Fiji Labor Party
or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; Fijian Nationalist Federation
Party or NFP [Singh RAKKA]; Fijian Political Party or SVT
(primarily Fijian) [Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA]; National
Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Jai Ram REDDY];
United General Party or UGP [David PICKERING] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, AsDB, C, CCC,
CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad
interim Salaseini Lelelvawalu VOSAILAGI
chancery: Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Osman M. SIDDIQUE
embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva
mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva
telephone: [679] 314466
FAX: [679] 300081 |
| 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 are the major sources of foreign exchange.
Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity.
Roughly 300,000 tourists visit each year, including
thousands of Americans following the start of regularly
scheduled non-stop air service from Los Angeles. Fiji's
growth slowed in 1997 because the sugar industry suffered
from low world prices and rent disputes between farmers and
landowners. Drought in 1998 further damaged the sugar
industry, but its recovery in 1999 contributed to robust GDP
growth. Long-term problems include low investment and
uncertain property rights. The political turmoil in Fiji has
had a severe impact with the economy shrinking by 8% in 1999
and over 7,000 people losing their jobs. The interim
government's 2001 budget is an attempt to attract foreign
investment and restart economic activity. The government's
ability to manage the budget and fulfill predictions of 4%
growth for 2001 will depend on a return to stability, a
regaining of investor confidence, and the absence of
international sanctions (which could cripple Fiji's sugar
and textile industry). |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $5.9 billion (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-8% (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $7,300 (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
16%
industry: 30%
services: 54% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
0% (1999 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
subsistence
agriculture 67%, wage earners 18%, salary earners 15% (1987) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
6% (1997 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$610 million
expenditures: $501 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism, sugar,
clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage
industries |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
2.9% (1995) |
| Electricity
- production: |
510 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
17.65%
hydro: 82.35%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
474.3 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugarcane,
coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas;
cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish |
| Exports: |
$537 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
sugar, garments,
gold, timber, fish |
| Exports
- partners: |
Australia 33.1%,
US 14.8%, UK 13.8%, other Pacific island countries 8.8%, NZ
4.5%, Japan 4.5% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$653 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
manufactured
goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum
products, food, chemicals |
| Imports
- partners: |
Australia 41.9%,
US 14%, NZ 13.3%, Japan 4.8%, Taiwan 1.9% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$193 million
(1998) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$40.3 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Fijian dollar (FJD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Fijian dollars
per US dollar - 2.1814 (January 2001), 2.1286 (2000), 1.9696
(1999), 1.9868 (1998), 1.4437 (1997), 1.4033 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
72,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- 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) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 13, FM 40,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
NA |
| Televisions: |
21,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.fj |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
7,500 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
597 km; note - belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar
Corporation
narrow gauge: 597 km 0.610-m gauge (1995) |
| Highways: |
total:
3,440 km
paved: 1,692 km
unpaved: 1,748 km (1996) |
| Waterways: |
203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and
200-metric-ton barges |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Lambasa, Lautoka,
Levuka, Savusavu, Suva |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,870 GRT/14,787 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1
(2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
24
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 19 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Republic of Fiji
Military Forces (RFMF; includes ground and naval forces) |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 227,599 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 125,238 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
9,471 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$24 million
(FY98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.1% (FY98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
