Fiji

Location

• Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
• consists of 332 islands, approximately 110 of which are inhabited, and more than 500 islets

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Nasinu	92,043
Suva	77,366	Capital
Lautoka	52,500
Nadi	42,284
Labasa	27,949
Lami	24,639
Sigatoka	17,622

Size

• 7,054 square miles
• 18,270 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than New Jersey

History

Austronesians settled Fiji around 1000 B.C., followed by successive waves of Melanesians starting around the first century A.D. Fijians traded with Polynesian groups in Samoa and Tonga, and by about 900, much of Fiji was in the Tu’i Tongan Empire’s sphere of influence. The Tongan influence declined significantly by 1200, while Melanesian seafarers continued to periodically arrive in Fiji, further mixing Melanesian and Polynesian cultural traditions. The first European spotted Fiji in 1643 and by the 1800s, European merchants, missionaries, traders, and whalers frequented the islands. Rival kings and chiefs competed for power, at times aided by Europeans, and in 1865, Seru Epenisa CAKOBAU united many groups into the Confederacy of Independent Kingdoms of Viti. The arrangement proved weak, however, and in 1871 CAKOBAU formed the Kingdom of Fiji in an attempt to centralize power. Fearing a hostile takeover by a foreign power as the kingdom’s economy began to falter, CAKOBAU ceded Fiji to the UK in 1874.The first British governor set up a plantation-style economy and brought in more than 60,000 Indians as indentured laborers, most of whom chose to stay in Fiji rather than return to India when their contracts expired. In the early 1900s, society was divided along ethnic lines, with iTaukei (indigenous Fijians), Europeans, and Indo-Fijians living in separate areas and maintaining their own languages and traditions. ITaukei fears of an Indo-Fijian takeover of government delayed independence through the 1960s; Fiji achieved independence in 1970 with agreements to allocate parliamentary seats by ethnic groups. After two coups in 1987, a new constitution in 1990 cemented iTaukei control of politics, leading thousands of Indo-Fijians to leave. A reformed constitution in 1997 was more equitable and led to the election of an Indo-Fijian prime minister in 1999, who was ousted in a coup the following year. In 2005, the new prime minister put forward a bill that would grant pardons to the coup perpetrators, leading Josaia Voreqe "Frank" BAINIMARAMA to launch a coup in 2006. BAINIMARAMA appointed himself prime minister in 2007 and retained the position after elections in 2014 and 2018 that international observers deemed credible. BAINIMARAMA's party lost control of the prime minister position after elections in 2022 with former opposition leader Sitiveni Ligamamada RABUKA winning the office by a narrow margin.

Climate

tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Languages

English (official), iTaukei (official), Fiji Hindi (official)

Religions

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.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest signed into law 6 September 2013amendment process: proposed as a bill by Parliament and supported by at least three quarters of its members, followed by referral to the president and then to the Electoral Commission, which conducts a referendum; passage requires approval by at least three-quarters of registered voters and assent by the president
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: common law system based on the English model
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Ratu Naiqama LALABALAVU (since 12 November 2024)head of government: Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada RABUKA (since 24 December 2022)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliamentelection/appointment process: president elected by Parliament for a 3-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister endorsed by the presidentmost recent election date: 31 October 2024election results: 2024: Ratu Naiqama LALABALAVU elected president (People's Alliance) 35 votes, Meli Tora TAVAIQIA (Fiji First) 14 votes2021: Ratu Wiliame KATONIVERE elected president; Wiliame KATONIVERE (People's Alliance) 28 votes, Teimumu KEPA (SODELPA) 23 votesexpected date of next election: 2027
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): 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)judge selection and term of office: 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 on the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission after consulting with the cabinet minister and the House of Representatives committee responsible for the administration of justice; the chief justice, Supreme Court judges, and justices of Appeal generally required to retire at age 70, but this requirement may be waived for one or more sessions of the court; puisne judges appointed for not less than 4 years or more than 7 years, with mandatory retirement at age 65subordinate courts: Magistrates' Court (organized into civil, criminal, juvenile, and small claims divisions)
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliamentlegislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 55 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 12/14/2022parties elected and seats per party: FijiFirst (26); People's Alliance (21); National Federation Party (NFP) (5); Social Democratic Liberal Party (Soldelpa) (3)percentage of women in chamber: 9.1%expected date of next election: December 2026

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper-middle income, tourism-based Pacific island economy; susceptible to ocean rises; key energy and infrastructure investments; post-pandemic tourism resurgence; improved debt standing; limited workforce
• Budget: revenues: $1.345 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $1.562 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower
• Industries: tourism, sugar processing, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber
• Agricultural Products: sugarcane, cassava, taro, vegetables, chicken, coconuts, eggs, ginger, milk, sweet potatoes (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 17.1% (2022 est.)arable land: 4.2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 3.4% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 9.5% (2022 est.)forest: 63.1% (2022 est.)other: 19.8% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, medical instruments, cars, broadcasting equipment, plastics (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Singapore 25%, China 16%, Australia 15%, NZ 14%, USA 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: water, fish, raw sugar, refined petroleum, garments (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: USA 32%, Australia 12%, Tonga 6%, NZ 6%, Samoa 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports