1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
1,129 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Environment
subject to hurricanes from November to January; includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 8%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 65%; other 19%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines) Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
timber, fish, gold, copper; offshore oil potential
Note
located 2,500 km north of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean
Terrain
mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Total area
18,270 km2; land area: 18,270 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
26 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Indian 49%, Fijian 46%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5%
Infant mortality rate
19 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
235,000; subsistence agriculture 67%, wage earners 18%, salary earners 15% (1987)
Language
English (official); Fijian; Hindustani
Life expectancy at birth
62 years male, 67 years female (1991)
Literacy
86% (male 90%, female 81%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985 est.)
Nationality
noun--Fijian(s); adjective--Fijian
Net migration rate
- 12 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
about 45,000 employees belong to some 46 trade unions, which are organized along lines of work and ethnic origin (1983)
Population
744,006 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
Religion
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)
Total fertility rate
3.1 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western
Capital
Suva
Communists
some
Constitution
10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); a new Constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25 July 1990
Diplomatic representation
Charge d'Affaires Ratu Finau MARA; Chancery at Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone (202) 337-8320; there is a Fijian Consulate in New York; US--Ambassador Evelyn I. H. TEEGEN; Embassy at 31 Loftus Street, Suva (mailing address is P. O. Box 218, Suva); telephone [679] 314-466 or 314-069
Elections
House of Representatives--last held 14 May 1987 (next to be held July 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(70 total, with ethnic Fijians allocated 37 seats, ethnic Indians 27 seats, and independents and other 6 seats) number of seats by party NA
Executive branch
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
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
Independence
10 October 1970 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu GANILAU (since 5 December 1987); Head of Government--Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (since 5 December 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Josefata KAMIKAMICA (since NA October 1991); note--Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA served as prime minister from 10 October 1970 until the 5-11 April 1987 election; after a second coup led by Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA on 25 September 1987, Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA was reappointed as prime minister
Legal system
based on British system
Legislative branch
the bicameral Parliament, consisting of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives, was dissolved following the coup of 14 May 1987; the Constitution of 23 September 1988 provides for a bicameral Parliament
Long-form name
Republic of Fiji
Member of
ACP, AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National holiday
Independence Day, 10 October (1970)
Political parties and leaders
Fijian Political Party (primarily Fijian), leader NA; National Federation (primarily Indian), Siddiq KOYA; Western United Front (Fijian), Ratu Osea GAVIDI; Fiji Labor Party, Adi Kuini BAVADRA
Suffrage
none
Type
military coup leader Major General Sitiveni Rabuka formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 23% of GDP; principal cash crop is sugarcane; coconuts, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, and bananas; small livestock sector includes cattle, pigs, horses, and goats
Budget
revenues $314 million; expenditures $355 million, including capital expenditures of $81 million (1990 est.)
Currency
Fijian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Fijian dollar (F$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $732 million
Electricity
215,000 kW capacity; 330 million kWh produced, 430 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Fijian dollars (F$) per US$1--1.4476 (January 1991), 1.4809 (1990), 1.4833 (1989), 1.4303 (1988), 1.2439 (1987), 1.1329 (1986), 1.1536 (1985)
Exports
$646 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.); commodities--sugar 40%, gold, clothing, copra, processed fish, lumber; partners--EC 31%, Australia 21%, Japan 8%, US 6%
External debt
$428 million (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$1.3 billion, per capita $1,693; real growth rate 3.5% (1991 est.)
Imports
$840 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.); commodities--machinery and transport 32%, food 15%, petroleum products, consumer goods, chemicals; partners--Australia 30%, NZ 17%, Japan 13%, EC 6%, US 6%
Industrial production
growth rate 8.4% (1991 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Industries
sugar, tourism, copra, gold, silver, fishing, clothing, lumber, small cottage industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8.5% (1991 est.)
Overview
Fiji's economy is primarily agricultural, with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports are a major source of foreign exchange and sugar processing accounts for one-third of industrial output. Industry, including sugar milling, contributes 13% to GDP. Fiji traditionally had earned considerable sums of hard currency from the 250,000 tourists who visited each year. In 1987, however, after two military coups, the economy went into decline. GDP dropped by 7.8% in 1987 and by another 2.5% in 1988; political uncertainty created a drop in tourism, and the worst drought of the century caused sugar production to fall sharply. In contrast, sugar and tourism turned in strong performances in 1989, and the economy rebounded vigorously. In 1990 the economy received a setback from cyclone Sina which cut sugar output by an estimated 21%.
Unemployment rate
5.9 (1991 est.)
Communications
Airports
26 total, 24 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
1 DC-3 and 1 light aircraft
Highways
3,300 km total (1984)--390 km paved; 1,200 km bituminous-surface treatment; 1,290 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface; 420 unimproved earth
Inland waterways
203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges
Merchant marine
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 34,214 GRT/37,161 DWT; includes 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 container, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker
Ports
Lambasa, Lautoka, Savusavu, Suva
Railroads
644 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, belonging to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation
Telecommunications
modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio center; important COMPAC cable link between US-Canada and New Zealand-Australia; 53,228 telephones; stations--7 AM, 1 FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Fiji Military Force (FMF; Army, Navy, Police)
Defense expenditures
$25.8 million, 2.5% of GDP (1988) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 190,120; 104,861 fit for military service; 7,879 reach military age (18) annually