Find important informations
about Fiji
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Fiji was once known as the 'Cannibal Isles' and its people were believed to be fierce and hostile; a recent history of coups has done nothing to dispel this notion in the minds of some travellers. Despite this, Fiji is beautiful, it has a pleasant tropical climate, the diving and snorkelling are superb and it has excellent facilities for tourists, whether they are on a tight budget or indulging in the luxuries of a plush resort. |
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Fiji, which had been inhabited since the second millennium B.C., was explored by the Dutch and the British in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1874, an offer of cession by the Fijian chiefs was accepted, and Fiji was proclaimed a possession and dependency of the British Crown. In the 1880s large-scale cultivation of sugarcane began. Over the next 40 years, more than 60,000 indentured laborers from India were brought to the island to work the plantations. By 1920, all indentured servitude had ended. Racial conflict between Indians and the indigenous Fijians has been central to the small island's history.
Fiji became independent on Oct. 10, 1970. In Oct. 1987, Brig. Gen. Sitiveni Rabuka staged a coup to prevent an Indian-dominated coalition party from taking power. The military coup caused an exodus of thousands of Fijians of Indian origin who suffered ethnic discrimination at the hands of the government.
A new constitution, which took effect in July 1998, provided for a multiracial cabinet and raised the prospect of a coalition government. The previous constitution had guaranteed dominance to ethnic Fijians. In 1999, Fiji's first ethnic Indian prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, took office
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GEOGRAPHY |
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| Fiji consists of 332 islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean about 1,960 mi (3,152 km) from Sydney, Australia. About 110 of these islands are inhabited. The two largest are Viti Levu (4,109 sq mi; 10,642 sq km) and Vanua Levu (2,242 sq mi; 5,807 sq km). |
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| POPULATION |
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Population: |
905,949 (July 2006 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 31.1% (male 143,847/female 138,061)
15-64 years: 64.6% (male 293,072/female 292,312)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 17,583/female 21,074) |
Median age: |
24.6 years |
Growth rate: |
1.4% |
Infant mortality: |
12.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 69.82 years
male: 67.32 years
female: 72.45 years |
Fertility rate: |
2.73 children born/woman |
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 |
Languages: |
English (official), Fijian, Hindustani |
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 95.5%
female: 91.9% |
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands |
Government type: |
republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987 |
Capital: |
Suva (Viti Levu) |
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
head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament
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 |
Legislative branch: |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms) |
Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts |
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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. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. Yet, because of a tourist boom, 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.
GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $5.409 billion; per capita $6,100. Real growth rate: 2%. Inflation: 1.6% (2002 est.). Unemployment: 7.6% (1999). Arable land: 11%. Agriculture: sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish. Labor force: 137,000 (1999); agriculture 70%, industry and services 30% (2001 est.). Industries: tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries. Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower. Exports: $862 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil. Imports: $1.235 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.): manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals. Major trading partners: U.S., Australia, UK, Samoa, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand (2004).
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Scenic Attractions
The following scenic attractions in Fiji Islands have been selected for their unique features:
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Koroyanitu National Park, Nadi Area, Viti Levu
This National Park north of Nadi follows ancient trails through the rainforest, past waterfalls connecting Fijian villages. There are some outstanding views of the mountains and the offshore islands to the west. |
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Mamanuca Islands |
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Bouma National Park, Taveuni, Northern Islands
The Garden Island of Taveuni has fantastically lush tropical mountains. There are numerous small budget resorts supporting the eco-tourist attractions of this island. |
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