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Small Business (BC),
Vancouver, Canada |
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Background: |
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). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native
Melanesian control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration, the population
loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians
became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more
equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government
led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led 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 led by
Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Re-elected in May 2006, QARASE was ousted
in a December 2006 military coup led by Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA, who
initially appointed himself acting president. In January 2007, BAINIMARAMA
was appointed interim prime minister. |
|
Country name: |
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 |
|
Government type: |
republic |
|
Capital: |
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) |
|
Administrative divisions: |
4 divisions and 1 dependency*,
Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western |
|
Independence: |
10 October 1970 (from UK)
|
|
National holiday: |
Independence Day, second Monday
of October (1970) |
|
Constitution: |
enacted on 25 July 1997 to
encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory,
effective 28 July 1998 |
|
Legal system: |
based on British system |
|
Suffrage: |
21 years of age, universal
|
|
Executive branch: |
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 |
|
Legislative branch: |
bicameral Parliament consists
of the Senate (32 seats, 14 appointed by the president on the advice of
the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of
the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1
appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of
Representatives (71 seats, 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for
ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 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 6-13 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - SDL 44.6%, FLP 39.2%, UPP 0.8%, independents 4.9%, other 10.5%,
seats by party - SDL 36, FLP 31, UPP 2, independents 2 |
|
Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court (judges are
appointed by the president), Court of Appeal, High Court, Magistrates`
Courts |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
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] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
|
International organization participation: |
ACP, ADB, C (suspended), CP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca,
SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant), Charge d`Affaires Penijamini R. LOMALOMA
chancery: 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 466-8320
FAX: [1] (202)
466-8325 |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Larry Miles DINGER
embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva
mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva
telephone:
[679] 331-4466
FAX: [679] 330-0081 |
|
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 |
|
Economy - overview: |
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, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and a growing tourist
industry - with 400,000 to 500,000 tourists annually - are the major
sources of foreign exchange. Fiji`s sugar has special access to European
Union markets, but will be harmed by the EU`s decision to cut sugar
subsidies. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but
is not efficient. Fiji`s tourism industry was damaged by the December 2006
coup and is facing an uncertain recovery time. The coup has created a
difficult business climate. Tourist arrivals for 2007 are estimated to be
down almost 6%, with substantial job losses in the service sector. In July
2007 the Reserve Bank of Fiji announced the economy was expected to
contract by 3.1% in 2007. Fiji`s current account deficit reached 23% of
GDP in 2006. The EU has suspended all aid until the interim government
takes steps toward new elections. Long-term problems include low
investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government`s
inability to manage its budget. Overseas remittances from Fijians working
in Kuwait and Iraq have decreased significantly. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$5.079 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate): |
$4.969 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
3.9% (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$5,500 (2007 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 8.9%
industry: 13.5%
services: 77.6% (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
117,500 (2006 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 70%
industry and services: 30% (2001 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate: |
7.6% (1999) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
25.5% (FY90/91) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
3% (2005) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $1.363 billion
expenditures: $1.376 billion (2006) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
sugarcane, coconuts, cassava
(tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas, cattle, pigs, horses, goats,
fish |
|
Industries: |
tourism, sugar, clothing,
copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
NA% |
|
Electricity - production: |
1.046 billion kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 18.5%
hydro: 81.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption: |
735.6 million kWh (2006) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
9,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
2,268 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - imports: |
10,870 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2005) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Current account balance: |
-$465.8 million (2006 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$1.202 billion f.o.b. (2006)
|
|
Exports - commodities: |
sugar, garments, gold, timber,
fish, molasses, coconut oil |
|
Exports - partners: |
US 16.8%, Australia 13.9%, UK
13.5%, Japan 5.3%, Samoa 4.7%, Tonga 4.1% (2006) |
|
Imports: |
$3.12 billion c.i.f. (2006)
|
|
Imports - commodities: |
manufactured goods, machinery
and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals |
|
Imports - partners: |
Singapore 28.8%, Australia
23.3%, NZ 16.8%, China 4.7% (2006) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$63.96 million (2005) |
|
Debt - external: |
$127 million (2004 est.) |
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: |
$NA |
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: |
$NA |
|
Market value of publicly traded shares: |
$586.7 million (2005) |
|
Currency (code): |
Fijian dollar (FJD) |
|
Currency code: |
FJD |
|
Exchange rates: |
Fijian dollars per US dollar -
NA (2007), 1.7313 (2006), 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003)
|
|
Fiscal year: |
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
112,500 (2005) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
205,000 (2005) |
|
Telephone system: |
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 35 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) |
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0
(1998) |
|
Radios: |
541,476 (1999) |
|
Television broadcast stations: |
NA |
|
Televisions: |
88,110 (1999) |
|
Internet country code: |
.fj |
|
Internet hosts: |
12,137 (2007) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
|
Internet users: |
80,000 (2006) |
|
Airports: |
28 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 3
over
3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
(2007) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 25
914 to
1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 18 (2007) |
|
Railways: |
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) |
|
Roadways: |
total: 3,440 km
paved: 1,692 km
unpaved: 1,748 km (1999) |
|
Waterways: |
203 km
note: 122 km
navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2006) |
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT
or over) 17,376 GRT/8,788 DWT
by type: passenger 3,
passenger/cargo 3, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 1
(Australia 1) (2007) |
|
Ports and terminals: |
Lautoka, Suva |
|
Disputes - international: |
none |
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