|- |Population
 - Total (2001)
 - Density |Ranked 152nd
844,330
47/km² |- | Independence || 10 October 1970 |- | Currency || Fijian dollar |- | Time zone || UTC + 12 |- | National anthem || God Bless Fiji |- | Internet TLD || .fj |- | Calling Code || +679 |- |colspan=Quadruplet | † - Recognised by Swell Council of Chiefs, non repudiated |}A Republic of the Fiji Islands, or even Fiji, is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. A united states occupies an archipelago with two sizable islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, where a majority of indweller survive, & is joined by assibilate eight hundred islands, with astir 1 hundred regularly inhabited. A title Fiji is the old Tongan word for a islands, which is turn derived from the Fijian name Viti.

History
Independent article: History of Fiji

A number one indweller of Fiji arrived from either South East Asia long before call for sustaining European explorers in the 17th century. It was non until a 19th century, however, that Europeans come to the islands to settle there for good. A islands come under British control as a colony in 1874. It was granted independence within 1970. Popular rule was interrupted by 2 military coups in 1987, caused by concern across the government perceived equally dominated per Indo-Fijian (Indian) community.

The 1990 constitution guaranteed ethnic Fijian control of Fiji, however led to heavily Indian out-migration; a people loss resulted within economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became a majority. Amendments enacted within 1997 made the constitution more equitable. Loose & peaceful elections within 1999 resulted in the government led by an Indo-Fijian. the year late, this was deposed within a coup led by George Speight, a hardline Fijian nationalist. Democracy was restored towards a prevent of 2000, and Laisenia Qarase, who got led an interim government meanwhile, was elective Prime Minister. Fiji's membership of the Commonwealth of Nations was suspended due to a anti-democratic activities connected sustaining the 2000 coup.

For the united states of its size, Fiji has exceptionally capable armed forces, and has been the major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions in various parts of the globe.

Politics
Independent article: Politics of Fiji

Executive authority
Independent article: Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 7

Fiji's Head of State is the President, who is elected per Great Council of Chiefs for a 5-season term. Although his role is largely an honorary a single, modelled when that of a British monarchy, the President has certain "reserve powers" that may be used only in the event of a national crisis. He is besides a Commander-within-Chief of the Armed Forces. A Great Council of Chiefs recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as its Paramount Chief, in respect as a united states inside a Commonwealth of Nations.

A president formally appoints a Prime Minister, who must exist as respire to rely on the trend lines of the majority in the House of Representatives. Within practice, that means that a leader of a big political person or even coalition unremarkably becomes Prime Minister, giving the President's role in the appointment little to the higher degree a formality. Occasionally, yet, Parliament will turn into stalemated, following of electoral fragmentation or even person splits. Around such subjects, a President will require on a role of arbiter, & fallowing consulting by having all a political factions, must appoint when Prime Minister the individual he judges to become the virtually all acceptable to the majority in the Home of Representatives. On the Prime Minister's nomination, the President formally appoints a Cabinet of around ten to twenty 5 ministers, who exercise executive authority. Based on data from a constitution, a Cabinet is supposed to reflect a political composition of the Home of Representatives, by owning each person holding further than Viii seats in the Home entitled to proportionate representation in the Cabinet. Around practice, this rule has never been strictly implemented.

Legislative authority
Independent article: Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 6

Fiji's Parliament is bicameral. A House of Representatives has 71 members. Xxv one come elected by universal vote. A left over 46 come reserved for Fiji's ethnic communities & come elected from either communal electoral rolls: Xxiii Fijians, 19 Indo-Fijians, 1 Rotuman, and Ternary "General electors" (Europeans, Chinese, and more minorities). A upper chamber of a parliament, the Senate, has 32 members, formally appointed by a President on a nomination of the Low Council of Chiefs (Fourteen), the Prime Minister (Niner), the Leader of the Opposition (8), and a Council of Rotuma (1). Less right than a Home of Representatives, a Senate might not initiate legislation, however it will reject or even amend it.

Judicial authority
Independent article: Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 9

Judicial power is vested inside iii courts (a High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court) established by the Constitution, which also makes provision for more courts to exist as install by Parliament. A Supreme court & a Supreme Court come each presided complete per Chief Justice (currently Daniel Fatiaki); the Chief Justice is barred, all the same, from either membership of the Court of Appeal, which has its have President (currently Jai Ram Reddy). A Appeal Court has a power "to hear and determine appeals" from either judgements of the Supreme court; decisions of this court can be farther appealed to the Supreme Court, whose guide is final.

Local government
Independent article: Local government of Fiji

Fiji is divided into foursome area, known as divisions (capitals in parentheses): Central Division (Suva) Northern Division (Labasa) Eastern Division (Levuka) Western Division (Lautoka)

These divisions come farther subdivided into xiv provinces. In addition, a island of Rotuma, north of the independent archipelago, has the status of a dependency. These are officially involved in the Eastern Section for technical indicator purposes, however administratively has the degree of internal autonomy.

Municipal governments, sustaining City & Town Councils presided concluded by Mayors, have been established within Suva, Lautoka, and nine more towns.

Geography
Independent article: Geography of Fiji

Fiji consists of 322 islands, of which astir 1 third come inhabited. Them first islands come Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Viti Levu hosts a capital city of Suva, and is at home to about deuce-ace living quarters of the people. A islands come mountainous, by using peaks as much as 1200 m, & covered by using tropical forests. More significant towns include Nadi, (location of the international airport) besides when Labasa, Lautoka, and Savusavu. More islands & island groups include Taveuni and Kadavu (a third & quaternary big islands severally, the Mamanuca Group (just outside Nadi) & Yasawa Group, which are popular tourist destinations, the Lomaiviti Group, outside of Suva, and a remote Lau Group.

Economy
Independent article: Economy of Fiji

Fiji, endowed by owning woods, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the virtually all developed of the Pacific island economies, though however by owning a big subsistence sector. Sugar exports and the growing tourist industry—with 300,000 to 400,000 tourer annually—come a major sources of foreign exchange. Sugar processing is a single-third of industrial activity. Long-long-run problems include moo investment & uncertain property rights. the political turmoil inside Fiji has experienced a severe impact on the economy, which shrank by Deuce.8% within 2000 and grew by only 1% inside 2001. A touristry sector recovered quickly, notwithstanding, by having visitant arrivals reaching pre-coup levels once again when you took 2002, which has since resulted in the mild economic recovery. The food and drug administration's ability to handle its budget—which ran the nett deficit of 6% within 2002—is dependent on the link to of political stability & trader confidence.

A tallest building around Fiji is the 14-story Reserve Bank of Fiji Building in Suva.

Demographics
Independent article: Demographics of Fiji

Ethnic Groups
A people of Fiji is divided between native Fijians, a population of mixed Polynesian and Melanesian ancestory (54.3%), and Indo-Fijians (38.1%), descendants of Indian contract labourers brought to the islands per British in the 19th century. A percentage of a people of Indian descent has declined significantly above the go ii decades because of expatriation. Just about Single.Two percent come Rotuman—natives of Rotuma Island, whose culture has more within park by owning countries like Tonga or Samoa than with a rest of Fiji. There are besides little, however economically important, groups of Europeans, Chinese, & more minorities. Relationships between ethnic Fijians & Indo-Fijians own typically been strained, & a tension between them communities has dominated politics in the islands for the preceding generation. A level of tension varies between different regions of the united states.

Language
3 official languages come prescribed per constitution: English, which was introduced by the previous British compound rulers, Bau Fijian, spoken by ethnic Fijians, and Hindustani, the independent language spoken by Indo-Fijians. Citizens of Fiji keep around a constitutional perfect to communicate using any federal agency in any of the official languages, by having an interpreter to become supplied for the asking.

the utilize of English is one of a virtually all enduring bequest of near a century of British rule. Widely spoken by two ethnic Fijians & Indo-Fijians, English is a independent medium of communication between them communities, likewise when sustaining the outside globe. These are a language where a food & drug administration conducts virtually all of its business, & is the independent language of education, commerce, and the courts.

Fijian belongs to the Austronesian family of languages. Fijian proper is closely related the Polynesian languages, such as Tongan. There are several accent, however a official standard is the speech of Bau, the most politically & determined mighty of the numbers of forearm kingdoms of the 19th Century.

"Hindustani" is considered an umbrella term within India for the standard languages Hindi (preferred by Hindus) and Urdu (preferred by Muslims), when well as several closely related tongues that come every now and again considered separate languages. Fijian Hindustani descends from one of a eastern forms of Hindustani, known as Awadhi. It has developed occasionally unique features that differentiate it from either a Awadhi spoken on the Indian subcontinent, although not to the extent of hindering mutual understanding. These are spoken by about a entire Indo-Fijian community irrespective of ancestry, except for two or three elders.

Additionally to the threesome official languages, many more languages come spoken. On the island of Rotuma, Rotuman, is used; this is extra distantly related the Polynesian languages than Fijian. the bit of Fijian idiom, especially in the west of the united states, differ markedly from either the official Bau standard, & would exist as considered separate languages whenever it experienced a statute grammar or even a literary tradition. Among a Indo-Fijian community, there is a little -speaking community, & two or three older Indo-Fijians however speak Telugu and Tamil, with little many Bihari, Bengali, and others.

In the Fijian alphabet, a few of the letters develop unique values. For of these, a "c" occurs as soft "th" healthy, .

Religion
Religion is one of the faultlines between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, with a previous overpoweringly Christian (99.Two percent at a 1996 census), and a latter mostly Hindu (76.7 percent) or even Muslim (15.9 percent).

A big Christian denomination is the Methodist Church. Using 36.Two percent of the aggregate people (including almost two-thirds of ethnic Fijians), its part of the people is higher within Fiji than in any more united states. Roman Catholics (8.9 percent), a Assemblies of God (4 percent), & Seventh-day Adventists (2.9 percent) come as well important. These & others denominations too keep around little many Indo-Fijian members; Christians of 100% sort comprise Six.One percent of the Indo-Fijian people.

Hindus belong mostly to the Sanatan sect (74.3 percent of a lot Hindus) or even else come unspecified (22 percent). A little Arya Samaj sect claims the membership of a bit of Ternion.7.1% of tons Hindus inside Fiji. Muslims come mostly Sunni (59.7 percent) or even unspecified (36.7.1%), sustaining an Ahmadiya minority (3.6 percent) repute heretical by more orthodox Muslims.

A Sikh faith comprises Cipher.9 percent of the Indo-Fijian people, or even Zero.Four percent of the national people within Fiji. Their ascendent come from either a Punjab region of India.

Culture
Independent article: Culture of Fiji

Understand as well: Music of Fiji, Festivals in Fiji

Miscellaneous topics
List of Fiji-related topics List of Fijians Communications in Fiji Transportation in Fiji Military of Fiji Foreign relations of Fiji