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National Map
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Fiji |
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National Flag
Of |
Fiji |
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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
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
Of |
Fiji |
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National Anthem
Of |
Fiji |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Fiji |
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Background:
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Fiji
became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a
British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two
military coups in 1987, caused by concern over a
government perceived as dominated by the Indian
community (descendants of contract laborers brought to
the islands by the British in the 19th century). A 1990
constitution favored native Melanesian control of Fiji,
but led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss
resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that
Melanesians became the majority. Amendments enacted in
1997 made the constitution more equitable. Free and
peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led
by an Indo-Fijian, but a coup in May 2000 ushered in a
prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary
elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a
democratically elected government and gave a mandate to
the government of Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. |
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Location:
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Oceania,
island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 00 S,
175 00 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total:
18,270 sq km
land: 18,270 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than New Jersey |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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1,129 km
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Maritime claims:
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measured
from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added |
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Climate:
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tropical
marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation |
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Terrain:
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mostly
mountains of volcanic origin |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m |
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Natural resources:
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timber,
fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable
land: 10.95%
permanent crops: 4.65%
other: 84.4% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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cyclonic
storms can occur from November to January |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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includes
332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited
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Population:
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893,354
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 31.4% (male 143,066/female 137,346)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 288,434/female 287,720)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 16,797/female
19,991) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
24.28 years
male: 23.84 years
female: 24.74 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.4%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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22.73
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.65
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-3.04
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
12.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 69.53 years
male: 67.05 years
female: 72.14 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.75
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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600 (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
200 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Fijian(s)
adjective: Fijian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Fijian
51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian
admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific
Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.)
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Religions:
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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) |
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Languages:
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English
(official), Fijian, Hindustani |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 95.5%
female: 91.9% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands
conventional short form: Fiji |
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Government type:
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republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni
RABUKA formally declared Fiji a republic on 6 October
1987 |
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Capital:
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Suva
(Viti Levu) |
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Administrative divisions:
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4
divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern,
Rotuma*, Western |
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Independence:
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10
October 1970 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) |
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Constitution:
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promulgated on 25 July 1990; amended on 25 July 1997 to
allow nonethnic Fijians greater say in government and to
make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July
1998 |
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Legal system:
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based on
British system |
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Suffrage:
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21 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda
(since 18 July 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia
QARASE (since 10 September 2000)
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 chief system
elections: president elected by the Great Council
of Chiefs for a five-year term; prime minister appointed
by the president
election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda
elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs;
percent of vote - NA% |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (34 seats; 24
appointed by the President on the advice of the Great
Council of Chiefs, nine appointed by the president, and
one appointed by the council of Rotuma) and the 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 council of
Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and
25 open seats; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held
25 August through 1 September and 19 September 2001
(next to be held not later than September 2006)
election results: House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - FLP 26.5%, SDL 27.5%, NFP
1.2%, MV 4.2%, NLUP 1.3%, UGP .3%, independents 1.4%;
seats by party - FLP 27, SDL 32, MV 6, NFP 1, NLUP 2,
UGP 1, independents 2 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of
Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Bai Kei
Viti Party or BKV [Ratu Tevita MOMOEDONU]; Conservative
Alliance Party/Matanitu Vanua or MV [Ratu Rakuita
VAKALALABURE]; Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S.
DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Felipe BOLE] (a
merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci
Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or FAP [Adi
Kuini SPEED], Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily
Fijian) [Felipe BOLE], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP
[Tupeni BABA]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra
CHAUDRHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP [leader NA]
(became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage
Party or GHP [leader NA]; Justice and Freedom Party or
AIM [leader NA]; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR
[leader NA]; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily
Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party
or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU
[Meli BOGILEKA]; Party of the Truth or POTT [leader NA];
United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL
[Laisenia QARASE]; United General Party or UGP [Millis
Mick BEDDOES] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACP,
AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF,
Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Mr. Paula NAVUNISARAVI (Charge
D'Affaires ad Interim)
chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240,
Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320
FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador David L. LYON
embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva
mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva
telephone: [679] 331-4466
FAX: [679] 330-0081 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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 - with 300,000 to
400,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of
foreign exchange. Sugar processing makes up one-third of
industrial activity, but is inefficient. Long-term
problems include low investment, uncertain land
ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage
its budget. Yet short-run economic prospects are good,
provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous
Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Overseas remittances from
Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased
significantly. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$5.173
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.6%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $5,900 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 16.6%
industry: 22.4%
services: 61% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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137,000
(1999) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture, including subsistence agriculture 70% (2001
est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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7.6%
(1999) |
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Population below poverty line:
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25.5%
(1990-91) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.6%
(2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $427.9 million
expenditures: $531.4 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet
potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish
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Industries:
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tourism,
sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small
cottage industries |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA |
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Electricity - production:
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750
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 18.5%
hydro: 81.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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697.5
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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5,700
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$609
million f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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sugar,
garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil |
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Exports - partners:
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US 24%,
Australia 19%, UK 12.6%, Samoa 6.5%, Japan 4.1% (2004)
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Imports:
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$835
million c.i.f. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment,
petroleum products, food, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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Australia
25.9%, Singapore 23.1%, New Zealand 21.1% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$188.1
million (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$40.3
million (1995) |
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Currency (code):
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Fijian
dollar (FJD) |
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Currency code:
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FJD |
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Exchange rates:
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Fijian
dollars per US dollar - 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003),
2.1869 (2002), 2.2766 (2001), 2.1286 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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102,000
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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109,900
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: modern local, interisland, and
international (wire/radio integrated) public and
special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter
facilities; regional radio communications center
domestic: NA
international: country code - 679; access to
important cable links between US and Canada as well as
between NZ and Australia; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 13, FM
40, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios:
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541,476
(1999) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA |
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Televisions:
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88,110
(1999) |
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Internet country code:
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.fj |
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Internet hosts:
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493
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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2 (2000)
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Internet users:
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55,000
(2003) |
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Railways:
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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) (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
3,440 km
paved: 1,692 km
unpaved: 1,748 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and
200-metric-ton barges (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Lambasa,
Lautoka, Suva |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,372 GRT/7,453 DWT
by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll
on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2005) |
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Airports:
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28 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
25
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 19 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Republic
of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval
Division (2005) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 215,104 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 163,960 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
9,266 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$36
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.2%
(FY02) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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