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Fiji, See : Flags, Maps

A Racial Study of the Fijians , Norman E. Gabel

Fiji (Australia-Oceania)

Introduction ::Fiji



Geography ::Fiji



Geographic coordinates:
18 00 S, 175 00 E

Map references:



total: 18,274 sq km country comparison to the world: 156 land: 18,274 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

0 km


1,129 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm



tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation


mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m

Natural resources:


Land use:

arable land: 10.95%

permanent crops: 4.65%

other: 84.4% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

28.6 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):


per capita: 82 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited

People ::Fiji


875,983 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 158

Age structure:

0-14 years: 30.3% (male 146,327/female 140,327)

15-64 years: 64.9% (male 307,077/female 305,886)

65 years and over: 4.8% (male 20,300/female 24,803) (2010 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.6 years

male: 26.4 years

female: 26.8 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.827% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 136

Birth rate:

21.52 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 83

Death rate:

5.88 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 170

Net migration rate:

-7.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 209


urban population: 52% of total population (2008)

rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 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: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.28 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 146 male: 12.42 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.03 years country comparison to the world: 136 male: 68.46 years

female: 73.73 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.65 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 80

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 137

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

600 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 147

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 114


noun: Fijian(s)

adjective: Fijian

Ethnic groups:

Fijian 57.3% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture),
Islanders, Chinese) (2007 census)


0.7% (2007 census)


English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani


definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93.7%

male: 95.5%

female: 91.9% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

6.2% of GDP (2004) country comparison to the world: 33

Government ::Fiji

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands

conventional short form: Fiji


local short form: Fiji/Viti

Government type:



name: Suva (on Viti Levu)

geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins fourth Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March

Administrative divisions:



10 October 1970 (from the UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970)


enacted on 25 July 1997; effective on 28 July 1998; note - it encourages multiculturalism and makes multiparty government mandatory

Legal system:

based on British system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction


21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:


head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000); note - although QARASE is still the legal prime minister, he has been confined to his home island; former President ILOILOVATU appointed Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA interim prime minister under the military regime



Legislative branch:


elections: House of Representatives - last held on 6-13 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011)


Judicial branch:

Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders:

National Federation Party or NFP [Pramond RAE] (primarily Indian);
POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL

Political pressure groups and leaders:


International organization participation:


Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Winston THOMPSON


telephone: [1] (202) 466-8320
FAX: [1] (202) 466-8325

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador C. Steven MCGANN

embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva

mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva

telephone: [679] 331-4466
FAX: [679] 330-0081

Flag description:


National anthem:

name: "God Bless Fiji"



Economy ::Fiji

Economy - overview:


GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.792 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 169 $3.725 billion (2009 est.)

$3.821 billion (2008 est.)

note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.154 billion (2010 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.8% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 156 -2.5% (2009 est.)

-0.1% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,300 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 155 $4,300 (2009 est.)

$4,400 (2008 est.)

note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.9%

industry: 13.5%

services: 77.6% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

335,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 161

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70%

industry and services: 30% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.6% (1999) country comparison to the world: 81

Population below poverty line:
25.5% (FY90/91)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.8% (2007) country comparison to the world: 138

Central bank discount rate:

3% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 70 6.32% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.85% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 119 7.97% (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of narrow money:

$748 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 147 $1.042 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of broad money:

$NA (31 December 2009)

$1.76 billion (31 December 2008)

Stock of domestic credit:

$NA (31 December 2008)

$1.799 billion (31 December 2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 104 $568.2 million (31 December 2008)

$522.2 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:




Industrial production growth rate:

Electricity - production:

928 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 146

Electricity - consumption:

863 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 147

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 174

Oil - consumption:

11,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 146

Oil - exports:

2,455 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 110

Oil - imports:

20,340 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 179

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 195

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 184

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 179

Natural gas - imports:


Natural gas - proved reserves:


Current account balance:

-$507 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 117


$1.202 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 147

Exports - commodities:


Exports - partners:

US 15.21%, Australia 12.11%, UK 11.23%, Samoa 5.39%, Tonga 4.74%,
Japan 4.44% (2009)


$3.12 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 137

Imports - commodities:


Imports - partners:

Singapore 27.27%, Australia 19.36%, NZ 15.15%, China 6.92%, India 5.23%, Thailand 4.25% (2009)

Debt - external:

$127 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 179

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

Exchange rates:

Fijian dollars (FJD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.7313 (2006), 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003)

Communications ::Fiji

Telephones - main lines in use:

136,800 (2009) country comparison to the world: 135

Telephones - mobile cellular:

640,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 156

Telephone system:


domestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone exchanges and direct dialing; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 80 per 100 persons


Broadcast media:

Fiji TV, a publicly-traded company, operates a free-to-air channel as well as the Sky Fiji and Sky Pacific multi-channel pay-TV services; state-owned commercial company, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, Ltd, operates 6 radio stations - 2 public broadcasters and 4 commercial broadcasters with multiple repeaters; 5 radio stations with repeaters operated by Communications Fiji, Ltd; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2009)

Internet country code:


Internet hosts:

17,088 (2010) country comparison to the world: 113

Internet users:

114,200 (2009) country comparison to the world: 157

Transportation ::Fiji


28 (2010) country comparison to the world: 118

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 24

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 19 (2010)


total: 597 km country comparison to the world: 110 narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge



total: 3,440 km country comparison to the world: 162 paved: 1,692 km

unpaved: 1,748 km (2000)


203 km country comparison to the world: 98 note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2008)

Merchant marine:

total: 10 country comparison to the world: 112 by type: passenger 4, passenger/cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 2 (Australia 2) (2010)

Ports and terminals:

Lautoka, Levuka, Suva

Military ::Fiji

Military branches:


Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2010)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 248,020

females age 16-49: 243,468 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 195,414

females age 16-49: 206,386 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 9,131

female: 8,776 (2010 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 80

Transnational Issues ::Fiji

Disputes - international:


Trafficking in persons:





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