"text":"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 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Reelected in May 2006, QARASE was ousted in a December 2006 military coup led by Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA, who initially appointed himself acting president but in January 2007 became interim prime minister. Following years of political turmoil, long-delayed legislative elections were held in September 2014 that were deemed \"credible\" by international observers and that resulted in BAINIMARAMA being reelected."
"text":"cyclonic storms can occur from November to January"
},
"Environment - current issues":{
"text":"deforestation; soil erosion"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"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"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited"
}
},
"People and Society":{
"Nationality":{
"noun":{
"text":"Fijian(s)"
},
"adjective":{
"text":"Fijian"
}
},
"Ethnic groups":{
"text":"iTaukei 56.8% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 37.5%, Rotuman 1.2%, other 4.5% (European, part European, other Pacific Islanders, Chinese)",
"note":{
"text":"a 2010 law replaces 'Fijian' with 'iTuakei' when referring to the original and native settlers of Fiji (2007 est.)"
"text":"Protestant 45% (Methodist 34.6%, Assembly of God 5.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 3.9%, and Anglican 0.8%), Hindu 27.9%, other Christian 10.4%, Roman Catholic 9.1%, Muslim 6.3%, Sikh 0.3%, other 0.3%, none 0.8% (2007 est.)"
"text":"President Ratu Epeli NAILATIKAU (since 30 July 2009)"
},
"head of government":{
"text":"Prime Minister Voreqe \"Frank\" BAINIMARAMA (since 22 September 2014)"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"under the constitution, president indirectly elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); in 2007, the Great Council of Chiefs was suspended from its role in electing the president and disestablished in 2012; prime minister appointed by the president"
},
"election results":{
"text":"Ratu Epeli NAILATIKAU (independent) reappointed in November 2012; term ends in 2015"
}
},
"Legislative branch":{
"description":{
"text":"unicameral Parliament (50 seats; members directly elected in a nationwide, multi-seat constituency by open-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms; the new constitution of 2013 restructured Parliament frome bicameral to unicameral"
},
"elections":{
"text":"last held on 17 September 2014 (next to be held in 2019)"
},
"election results":{
"text":"percent of vote by party - Fiji First 59.2%, SDL 28.2%, National Federation Party 5.5%, other 7.1%; seats by party - Fiji First 32, SDL 15, National Federation Party 3"
}
},
"Judicial branch":{
"highest court(s)":{
"text":"Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, all justices of the Court of Appeal, and judges appointed specifically as Supreme Court judges); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, all puisne judges of the High Court, and judges specifically appointed to the Court of Appeal); High Court (chaired by the chief justice and includes a minimum of 10 puisne judges; High Court organized into civil, criminal, family, employment, and tax divisions); note - in 1987, the Supreme Court assumed functions formerly performed by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"chief justice appointed by the president of Fiji on the advice of the prime minister following consultation with the parliamentary leader of the opposition; judges of the Supreme Court, the president of the Court of Appeal, the justices of the Court of Appeal, and puisne judges of the High Court appointed by the president of Fiji upon the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission after consulting with the cabinet minister and the committee of the House of Representatives responsible for the administration of justice; the chief justice, Supreme Court judges and justices of Appeal generally required to retire at age 70 but may be waived for one or more sessions of the court; puisne judges appointed for not less than 4 years nor more than 7 years with mandatory retirement at age 65"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"Magistrates' Court (organized into civil, criminal, juvenile, and small claims divisions)"
}
},
"Political parties and leaders":{
"text":"FijiFirst [Aiyaz SAYED-KHAIYUM] ++ Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY] ++ Fiji United Freedon Party or FUFP [Jagath KARUNARATNE] ++ National Federation Party or NFP [Dalip KUMAR] (primarily Indian) ++ Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Adi Sivia QORO] ++ Social Democratic Liberal Party or SODELPA [Pio TABAIWALU]"
},
"Political pressure groups and leaders":{
"text":"Group Against Racial Discrimination or GARD [Dr. Anirudk SINGH] (suports restoration of a democratic government) ++ Viti Landowners Association"
"text":"Ambassador Winston THOMPSON (since 20 April 2009)"
},
"chancery":{
"text":"2000 M Street NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20036"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[1] (202) 466-8320"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[1] (202) 466-8325"
},
"consulate(s)":{
"text":"Los Angeles, Portland (OR), San Francisco"
}
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"chief of mission":{
"text":"Ambassador Judith CEFKIN (since 3 February 2015); note - also accredited to Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu"
},
"embassy":{
"text":"158 Princes Rd, Tamavua"
},
"mailing address":{
"text":"P. O. Box 218, Suva"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[679] 331-4466"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[679] 330-8685"
}
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"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 blue symbolizes the Pacific ocean and the Union Jack reflects the links with Great Britain; the shield - taken from Fiji's coat of arms - depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George; the four quarters depict stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"Fijian canoe; national color: light blue"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"God Bless Fiji\""
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Michael Francis Alexander PRESCOTT/C. Austin MILES (adapted by Michael Francis Alexander PRESCOTT)"
},
"note":{
"text":"adopted 1970; known in Fijian as \"Meda Dau Doka\" (Let Us Show Pride); adapted from the hymn, \"Dwelling in Beulah Land,\" the anthem's English lyrics are generally sung, although they differ in meaning from the official Fijian lyrics"
}
}
},
"Economy":{
"Economy - overview":{
"text":"Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed and connected of the Pacific island economies. Earnings from the tourism industry, with an estimated 692,630 tourists visiting in 2014, and remittances from Fijian’s working abroad are the country’s largest foreign exchange earners. Fiji's sugar remains a significant industry and a major export. The sugar industry reforms since 2010 have improved productivity and returns, but the industry faces the complete withdrawal of European Union preferential prices by 2017. Fiji’s trade imbalance continues to widen with increased imports and sluggish performance of domestic exports. The return to parliamentary democracy and successful elections in September 2014 have boosted investor confidence. Private sector investment in 2014 reached 15% of GDP, compared to 13% in 2013."
"Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy":{
"text":"1.543 million Mt (2012 est.)"
}
},
"Communications":{
"Telephones - fixed lines":{
"total subscriptions":{
"text":"74,700"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"8 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephones - mobile cellular":{
"total":{
"text":"876,200"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"97 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephone system":{
"general assessment":{
"text":"modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center"
},
"domestic":{
"text":"telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone exchanges and direct dialing; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 100 per 100 persons"
},
"international":{
"text":"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) (2011)"
}
},
"Broadcast media":{
"text":"Fiji TV, a publicly traded company, operates a free-to-air channel, as well as Sky Fiji and Sky Pacific multi-channel pay-TV services; state-owned commercial company, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, Ltd, operates 6 radio stations - 2 public broadcasters and 4 commercial broadcasters with multiple repeaters; 5 radio stations with repeaters operated by Communications Fiji, Ltd; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2009)"
},
"Radio broadcast stations":{
"text":"AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998)"
},
"Television broadcast stations":{
"text":"NA"
},
"Internet country code":{
"text":".fj"
},
"Internet users":{
"total":{
"text":"331,700"
},
"percent of population":{
"text":"36.7% (2014 est.)"
}
}
},
"Transportation":{
"Airports":{
"text":"28 (2013)"
},
"Airports - with paved runways":{
"total":{
"text":"4"
},
"over 3,047 m":{
"text":"1"
},
"1,524 to 2,437 m":{
"text":"1"
},
"914 to 1,523 m":{
"text":"2 (2013)"
}
},
"Airports - with unpaved runways":{
"total":{
"text":"24"
},
"914 to 1,523 m":{
"text":"5"
},
"under 914 m":{
"text":" ++ 19 (2013)"
}
},
"Railways":{
"total":{
"text":"597 km"
},
"narrow gauge":{
"text":"597 km 0.600-m gauge"
},
"note":{
"text":"belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during the harvest season, which runs from May to December (2008)"
}
},
"Roadways":{
"total":{
"text":"3,440 km"
},
"paved":{
"text":"1,686 km"
},
"unpaved":{
"text":"1,754 km (2011)"
}
},
"Waterways":{
"text":"203 km (122 km are navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges) (2012)"
},
"Merchant marine":{
"total":{
"text":"11"
},
"by type":{
"text":"passenger 4, passenger/cargo 4, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2"
},
"foreign-owned":{
"text":"2 (Australia 2) (2010)"
}
},
"Ports and terminals":{
"major seaport(s)":{
"text":"Lautoka, Levuka, Suva"
}
}
},
"Military":{
"Military branches":{
"text":"Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Forces (2011)"
},
"Military service age and obligation":{
"text":"18 years of age for voluntary military service; mandatory retirement at age 55 (2013)"
},
"Manpower available for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"233,240"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"222,587 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower fit for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"183,730"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"188,325 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually":{
"male":{
"text":"8,403"
},
"female":{
"text":"8,039 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Military expenditures":{
"text":"1.47% of GDP (2012) ++ 1.44% of GDP (2011) ++ 1.47% of GDP (2010)"
