Fiji

§1. Fiji Introduction

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.

§2. Fiji Geography

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 kmē
  land: 18,270 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  1,129 km

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 kmē (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

§3. Fiji People

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  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.)

§4. Fiji Government

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

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:
  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

§5. Fiji Economy

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:
  235,000

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)

Currency code:
  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

§6. Fiji Communications

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)

Radios:
  500,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  NA

Televisions:
  21,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .fj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  2 (2000)

Internet users:
  7,500 (2000)

§7. Fiji Transportation

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:
  27 (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.)

§8. Fiji Military

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)

§9. Fiji Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none
