Fiji
Republic of the Fiji Islands
republicIndependence 10 October 1970 (from UK)
Fiji as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 104 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about | two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
18 fieldsLand useshare of 18,270 sq km
Location
Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Environment--international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertication, 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
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1999 est.)
Male · female
Religions(1986)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 33% (male 138,796; female 133,428)
- 15-64 years:
- 63% (male 257,130; female 256,834)
- 65 years and over:
- 4% (male 12,527; female 14,203) (1999 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:
- 0.88 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Fijian 51%, Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.)
Government
Republic; President Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (acting president since 15 December 1993, president since 12 January 1994); Prime Minister Sitiveni RABUKA (since 2 June 1992)
18 fieldsLegislature, 70 seatsone dot, one seat
Government type
republic note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
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 non-ethnic Fijians greater say in government and to make multi-party government mandatory;
- entered into force 28 July 1998;
- note-- the May 1999 election will be the first test of the amended constitution and will introduce open voting--not racially prescribed--for the first time at the national level
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (acting president since 15 December 1993, president since 12 January 1994);
- Vice President Ratu Josefa Iloilo ULUIVUDA (since 18 January 1999)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Sitiveni RABUKA (since 2 June 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Taufa VAKATALE (since 7 August 1997)
- 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 Sir Kamisese MARA elected president; percent of Great Council of Chiefs vote--NA
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (34 seats; 24 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 9 for Indians and others, and 1 for the island of Rotuma; members appointed by the president to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (70 seats; 37 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 27 reserved for ethnic Indians, and 6 for independents and others; members elected by popular vote on a communal basis to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- House of Representatives--last held 18-25 February 1994 (next to be held 11 May 1999)
- election results:
- House of Representatives--percent of vote by party--NA;
- seats by party--SVT 31, NFP 20, FLP 7, FAP 5, GVP 4, independents 2, ANC 1;
- note--results are for the last election before the new constitution came into force
note: when the new constitution is applied to the upcoming May elections, the composition of the legislative branch will change to
- the following:
- 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 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 Rotuman constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats)
Political parties and leaders
Fijian Political Party or SVT Lewenivanua Vakarisito Party or VLV or Christian Fellowship Party
note: in early 1995, ethnic Fijian members of the All National Congress or ANC merged with the Fijian Association or FA; the remaining members of the ANC have renamed their party the General Electors' Association
International organization participation
ACP, AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador "Ratu" Napolioni MASIREWA
- chancery:
- Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
- consulate(s):
- New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Larry M. DINGER
- embassy:
- 31 Loftus Street, Suva
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 218, Suva
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
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.
31 fieldsGDP--composition by sector(1996 est.)
Electricity
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 250,000 tourists visit each year. Political uncertainty and drought, however, contribute to substantial fluctuations in earnings from tourism and sugar and to the emigration of skilled workers. 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. Overall growth in 1991-98 has averaged less than 2% per year, with long-term problems of low investment and uncertain property rights. The central bank predicts growth of 2% to 3% in 1999.
Agriculture--products
- sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas;
- cattle, pigs, horses, goats;
- fish
Exchange rates
Fijian dollars (F$) per US$1--1.9556 (January 1999), 1.9868 (1998), 1.4437 (1997), 1.4033 (1996), 1.4063 (1995), 1.4641 (1994)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
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 link between US and Canada and NZ and Australia; satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Transportation
8 fieldsMerchant marine, 5 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1998 est.)
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 597 km; note--belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation
- narrow gauge:
- 597 km 0.610-m gauge (1995)
Military
Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; | includes ground and naval forces)
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Fiji.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fiji/1999.