Fiji

total:

0.07 cu km/yr (14%/14%/71%)

per capita:

82 cu m/yr (2000)

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

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:

0.82 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

noun:

Fijian(s)

adjective:

Fijian

conventional long form:

Republic of the Fiji Islands

conventional short form:

Fiji

local long form:

Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti

local short form:

Fiji/Viti

name:

Suva (on Viti Levu)

geographic coordinates:

18 08 S, 178 25 E

time difference:

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

• President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 2000);
• note - ILOILOVATU was reaffirmed as president by the Great Council of Chiefs in a statement issued on 22 December, and reappointed by the coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA in January 2007

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;
• the president appointed Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA interim prime minister under the military regime

cabinet:

• Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament;
• note - coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA has appointed an interim cabinet

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;
• election last held 8 March 2006

election results:

Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA

• Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president);
• Court of Appeal;
• High Court;
• Magistrates' Courts

• Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA];
• Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]);
• Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY];
• General Voters Party or GVP (became part of United General Party);
• Girmit Heritage Party or GHP;
• Justice and Freedom Party or AIM;
• Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR;
• National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE];
• Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA];
• Party of National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA];
• Party of the Truth or POTT;
• United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE];
• United Peoples Party or UPP [Millis Mick BEDDOES]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); note - Penijamini R. LOMALOMA (Charge d'Affaires)

chancery:

2000 M Street, NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 466-8320

FAX:

[1] (202) 466-8325

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

• 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

agriculture:

70%

industry and services:

30% (2001 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas;
• cattle, pigs, horses, goats;
• fish

general assessment:

modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center

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 density is about 60 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 679;
• access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2007)

total:

597 km

narrow gauge:

597 km 0.600-m gauge

note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2006)

total:

3,440 km

paved:

1,692 km

unpaved:

1,748 km (2000)

total:

9

by type:

passenger 3, passenger/cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned:

1 (Australia 1) (2008)

males age 16-49:

242,567

females age 16-49:

238,556 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

189,282

females age 16-49:

202,350 (2008 est.)

male:

9,077

female:

8,728 (2008 est.)

current situation:

Fiji is a source country for children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and a destination country for a small number of women from China and India trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Fiji does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• the government has demonstrated no action to investigate or prosecute traffickers, assist victims, take steps to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, or support any anti-trafficking information or education campaigns;
• Fiji has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)