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Communications

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 7, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios [time series]

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]

60,017 (1987 est.)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

Televisions [time series]

12,000 (1992 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture--products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $540.65 million expenditures: $742.65 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Fijian dollar (F$) = 100 cents

Debt - external (Debt--external) [time series]

$217 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid (Economic aid--recipient) [time series]

$40.3 million (1995)

Economic overview (Economy--overview) [time series]

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.

Electricity - consumption (Electricity--consumption) [time series]

545 million kWh (1996)

Electricity - exports (Electricity--exports) [time series]

0 kWh (1996)

Electricity - imports (Electricity--imports) [time series]

0 kWh (1996)

Electricity - production (Electricity--production) [time series]

545 million kWh (1996)

Electricity - production by source (Electricity--production by source) [time series]

fossil fuel: 21.1% hydro: 78.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

Exchange rates [time series]

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)

Exports [time series]

$655 million (f.o.b., 1996)

Exports - commodities (Exports--commodities) [time series]

sugar 32%, clothing, gold, processed fish, lumber

Exports - partners (Exports--partners) [time series]

Australia 27%, UK 14%, NZ 12%, US 8%, Japan (1996)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity--$5.4 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP--composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 19% industry: 22% services: 59% (1996 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP--per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity?$6,700 (1998 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP--real growth rate) [time series]

2.4% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports [time series]

$838 million (f.o.b., 1996)

Imports - commodities (Imports--commodities) [time series]

machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals

Imports - partners (Imports--partners) [time series]

Australia 44%, NZ 15%, US 9%, Japan 5%, Singapore 5% (1996)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

2.9% (1995)

Industries [time series]

sugar, tourism, copra, gold, silver, clothing, lumber, small cottage industries

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

3% (1997 est.)

Labor force [time series]

235,000

Labor force - by occupation (Labor force--by occupation) [time series]

subsistence agriculture 67%, wage earners 18%, salary earners 15% (1987)

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

6% (1997 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 18,270 sq km land: 18,270 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative (Area--comparative) [time series]

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate [time series]

tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Coastline [time series]

1,129 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m

Environment - current issues (Environment--current issues) [time series]

deforestation; soil erosion

International environmental agreements (Environment--international agreements) [time series]

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

Geographic coordinates [time series]

18 00 S, 175 00 E

Geography - note (Geography--note) [time series]

includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited

Irrigated land [time series]

10 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 10% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 10% forests and woodland: 65% other: 11% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Map references [time series]

Oceania

Maritime claims [time series]

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Natural resources [time series]

timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential

Terrain [time series]

mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western

Capital [time series]

Suva

Constitution [time series]

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

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands conventional short form: Fiji

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Larry M. DINGER embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador "Ratu" Napolioni MASIREWA chancery: Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 consulate(s): New York

Executive branch [time series]

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

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

republic note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987

Independence [time series]

10 October 1970 (from UK)

International organization participation [time series]

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

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president

Legal system [time series]

based on British system

Legislative branch [time series]

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)

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 10 October (1970)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; universal

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; includes ground and naval forces)

Military expenditures - dollar figure (Military expenditures--dollar figure) [time series]

$34 million (1997)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures--percent of GDP) [time series]

1.6% (1997)

Military manpower - availability (Military manpower--availability) [time series]

males age 15-49: 218,853 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service (Military manpower--fit for military service) [time series]

males age 15-49: 120,555 (1999 est.)

Military manpower - military age (Military manpower--military age) [time series]

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually (Military manpower--reaching military age annually) [time series]

males: 9,326 (1999 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

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.)

Birth rate [time series]

22.76 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate [time series]

6.21 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Fijian 51%, Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

16.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Languages [time series]

English (official), Fijian, Hindustani

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 66.59 years male: 64.19 years female: 69.11 years (1999 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.6% male: 93.8% female: 89.3% (1995 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Fijian(s) adjective: Fijian

Net migration rate [time series]

-3.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Population [time series]

812,918 (July 1999 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.28% (1999 est.)

Religions [time series]

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)

Sex ratio [time series]

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.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.7 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international (Disputes--international) [time series]

none

Transportation

Airports [time series]

24 (1998 est.)

Airports - with paved runways (Airports--with paved runways) [time series]

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways (Airports--with unpaved runways) [time series]

total: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 17 (1998 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 3,440 km paved: 1,692 km unpaved: 1,748 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 10,721 GRT/13,145 DWT ships by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, specialized tanker 1 (1998 est.)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Labasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Savusavu, Suva

Railways [time series]

total: 597 km; note--belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation narrow gauge: 597 km 0.610-m gauge (1995)

Waterways [time series]

203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges