]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand ^# 18 00 S, 175 00 E ^$ Oceania ^% `! 18,270 sq km `" 18,270 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& slightly smaller than New Jersey ^' 0 km ^( 1,129 km ^) measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines `$ 12 nm `N 200 nm `O 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added ^* tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation ^+ mostly mountains of volcanic origin ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& Tomanivi 1,324 m ^- timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower ^. `' 10.95% `( 4.65% `) 84.4% (2005) ^/ 30 sq km (2003) ^0 cyclonic storms can occur from November to January ^1 deforestation; soil erosion _P `P 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, Wetlands `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited 
]# ^3 918,675 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 30.9% (male 144,665/female 138,816) `, 64.7% (male 297,709/female 296,897) `- 4.4% (male 18,397/female 22,191) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 24.9 years `. 24.4 years `/ 25.4 years (2007 est.) ^6 1.394% (2007 est.) ^7 22.37 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 5.66 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -2.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.042 male(s)/female `, 1.003 male(s)/female `- 0.829 male(s)/female `2 1.006 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 11.99 deaths/1,000 live births `. 13.3 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 10.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 70.12 years `. 67.6 years `/ 72.76 years (2007 est.) ^= 2.7 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.1% (2003 est.) ^? 600 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 200 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Fijian(s) `4 Fijian ^B Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) ^C Christian 52% (includes Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2% `* Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority ^D English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 93.7% `. 95.5% `/ 91.9% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of the Fiji Islands `7 Fiji `Z Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti `[ Fiji/Viti ^H republic ^I `8 Suva (on Viti Levu) `9 18 08 S, 178 25 E `: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western ^K 10 October 1970 (from UK) ^L Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) ^M enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998 ^N based on British system ^O 21 years of age; universal ^P `; 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 `< 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 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 `> 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 `? Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA ^Q 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) `> House of Representatives - last held 6-13 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011) `? 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 ^R Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts ^S 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] ^T NA ^U ACP, AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Jesoni VITUSAGAVULU `S 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007 `T [1] (202) 337-8320 `U [1] (202) 337-1996 ^W `R Ambassador Larry Miles DINGER `_ 31 Loftus Street, Suva `` P. O. Box 218, Suva `T [679] 331-4466 `U [679] 330-0081 ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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 300,000 to 400,000 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 2006 coup and is facing an uncertain recovery time. 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 increased significantly. ^Z $5.504 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $2.038 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 2.7% (2006 est.) ^] $6,100 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 8.9% `A 13.5% `B 77.6% (2004 est.) ^_ 137,000 (1999) ^` `@ 70% industry and services: 30% (2001 est.) ^a 7.6% (1999) _! 25.5% (FY90/91) _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 3% (2005) _$ `E $720.5 million `F $728.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005) _& sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish _' tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries _( NA% _) 817 million kWh (2004) _* 759.8 million kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 10,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Q $-465.8 million (2006 est.) _3 $719.6 million f.o.b. (2005) _4 sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil _5 US 19.7%, Australia 17%, UK 12.3%, Japan 5.4%, Samoa 4.1% (2005) _6 $1.462 billion c.i.f. (2005) _7 manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals _8 Singapore 27.5%, Australia 23.7%, NZ 19%, Thailand 4.5% (2005) _9 $127 million (2004 est.) _: $63.9 million (2004) _; Fijian dollar (FJD) _< Fijian dollars per US dollar - 1.7313 (2006), 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003), 2.1869 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 102,000 (2003) _? 142,200 (2004) _@ `G modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center `H NA `I 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) _A AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998) _B NA _C .fj _D 8,987 (2006) _E 61,000 (2004) 
]' _F 28 (2006) _G `! 3 `a 1 `b 1 `c 1 (2006) _R `! 25 `c 7 `W 18 (2006) _e `! 597 km `n 597 km 0.600-m gauge `* belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2005) _H `! 3,440 km `K 1,692 km `L 1,748 km (1999) _b 203 km `* 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004) _S `! 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,867 GRT/8,432 DWT by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2 `X 1 (Australia 1) (2006) _I Lambasa, Lautoka, Suva 
]( _J Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Forces (2006) _T 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) _K males age 18-49: 215,104 females age 18-49: 212,739 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 163,960 females age 18-49: 178,714 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 9,266 females age 18-49: 8,916 (2005 est.) _U 2.2% (2005 est.) 
]) _N none 