Fiji

The first inhabitants of Fiji arrived from South East Asia long before the islands were discovered by European explorers in the 17th century. It was not until the 19th century, however, that Europeans came to the islands to settle there permanently. The islands came under British control as a colony in 1874. It was granted independence in 1970. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indo-Fijian (Indian) community.

A 1990 constitution guaranteed ethnic Fijian control of Fiji, but led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. Amendments enacted in 1997 made the constitution more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian. A year later, this was deposed in a coup led by George Speight, a hardline Fijian nationalist. Democracy was restored towards the end of 2000, and Laisenia Qarase, who had led an interim government in the meantime, was elected Prime Minister.

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

Politics

Main article: Politics of Fiji

Executive authority

Main article: Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 7

Fiji's Head of State is the President, who is elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term. Although his role is largely an honorary one, modelled after that of the British monarchy, the President has certain "reserve powers" that may be used only in the event of a national crisis. He is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The president formally appoints the Prime Minister, who must be able to rely on the support of a majority in the House of Representatives. In practice, that means that the leader of the largest political party or coalition normally becomes Prime Minister, rendering the President's role in the appointment little more than a formality. Sometimes, however, Parliament may become deadlocked, as a result of electoral fragmentation or party splits. In such cases, the President takes on the role of arbitrator, and after consulting with all the political factions, must appoint as Prime Minister the person he judges to be the most acceptable to the majority in the House of Representatives. On the Prime Minister's nomination, the President formally appoints a Cabinet of around ten to twenty five ministers, who exercise executive authority. According to the constitution, the Cabinet is supposed to reflect the political composition of the House of Representatives, with every party holding more than 8 seats in the House entitled to proportionate representation in the Cabinet. In practice, this rule has never been strictly implemented.

Legislative authority

Main article: Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 6

Fiji's Parliament is bicameral. The House of Representatives has 71 members. 25 of these are elected by universal suffrage. The remaining 46 are reserved for Fiji's ethnic communities and are elected from communal electoral rolls: 23 Fijians, 19 Indo-Fijians, 1 Rotuman, and 3 "General electors" (Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities). The upper chamber of the parliament, the Senate, has 32 members, formally appointed by the President on the nomination of the Great Council of Chiefs (14), the Prime Minister (9), the Leader of the Opposition (8), and the Council of Rotuma (1). Less powerful than the House of Representatives, the Senate may not initiate legislation, but it may reject or amend it.

Judicial authority

Main article: Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 9

Judicial power is vested in three courts (the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court) established by the Constitution, which also makes provision for other courts to be set up by Parliament. The High Court and the Supreme Court are both presided over by the Chief Justice (currently Daniel Fatiaki); the Chief Justice is barred, however, from membership of the Court of Appeal, which has its own President (currently Jai Ram Reddy). The Appeal Court has the power "to hear and determine appeals" from judgements of the High Court; decisions of this court may be further appealed to the Supreme Court, whose decision is final.

Local government

Main article: Local government of Fiji

Fiji is divided into four parts, called divisions (capitals in parentheses):

These divisions are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. Additionally, the island of Rotuma, north of the main archipelago, has the status of a dependency. It is officially included in the Eastern Division for statistical purposes, but administratively has a degree of internal autonomy.

Municipal governments, with City and Town Councils presided over by Mayors, have been established in Suva, Lautoka, and nine other towns.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Fiji

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Map of Fiji

Fiji consists of 322 islands, of which about one third is inhabited. The two most important islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Viti Levu hosts the capital city of Suva, and is home to nearly three quarters of the population. The islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1200 m, and covered with tropical forests. Other important towns include Labasa, Lautoka, Nadi, and Savusavu. Other islands and island groups include Taveuni and Kadavu (the third and fourth largest islands respectively, the Mamanuca Group (just outside Nadi) and Yasawa Group, which are popular tourist destinations, the Lomaiviti Group, outside of Suva, and the remote Lau Group.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Fiji

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 and a growing tourist industry—with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually—are the major sources of foreign exchange. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity. Long-term problems include low investment and uncertain property rights. The political turmoil in Fiji has had a severe impact on the economy, which shrank by 2.8% in 2000 and grew by only 1% in 2001. The tourism sector recovered quickly, however, with visitor arrivals reaching pre-coup levels again during 2002, which has since resulted in a modest economic recovery. The government's ability to manage its budget—which ran a net deficit of 6% in 2002—is dependent on a return of political stability and investor confidence.

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

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Fiji

Ethnic Groups

The population of Fiji is divided almost equally between native Fijians, a people of mixed Polynesian and Melanesian ancestory (54.3%), and Indo-Fijians (38.1%), descendants of Indian contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century. About 1.2 percent are Rotuman—natives of Rotuma Island, whose culture has more in common with countries such as Tonga or Samoa than with the rest of Fiji. There are also small, but economically significant, groups of Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities. Relationships between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians have often been strained, and the tension between the two communities has dominated politics in the islands for the past generation.

Language

Three official languages are prescribed by the constitution: English, which was introduced by the former British colonial rulers, Bau Fijian, spoken by ethnic Fijians, and Hindustani, the main language spoken by Indo-Fijians. Citizens of Fiji have the constitutional right to communicate with any government agency in any of the official languages, with an interpreter to be supplied on request.

The use of English is one of the most enduring legacies of almost a century of British rule. Widely spoken by both ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians, English is the main medium of communication between the two communities, as well as with the outside world. It is the language in which the government conducts most of its business, and is the main language of education, commerce, and the courts.

Fijian belongs to the Austronesian family of languages. Although it has been influenced by prolonged contact with speakers of Polynesian languages such as Tongan, it is related more closely to the Melanesian branch of the Austronesian family, which includes languages of western Pacific nations such as Vanuatu and New Caledonia. There are many dialects, but the official standard is the speech of Bau, the most politically and militarily powerful of the many indigenous kingdoms of the 19th Century.

"Hindustani" is considered an umbrella term for Hindi (preferred by Hindus) and the closely related Urdu (preferred by Muslims). Many Indo-Fijians consider that Fijian Hindustani has developed some unique features that differentiate it from the Hindi and Urdu spoken on the Indian subcontinent, although not to the extent of hindering mutual understanding.

In addition to the three official languages, many other languages are spoken. Some Fijian dialects, especially in the west of the country, differ markedly from the official Bau standard, and would probably be considered separate languages if they had a codified grammar or a literary tradition. In addition to Hindustani, many Indo-Fijians speak Telugu and Tamil, with smaller communities speaking Bihari, Bengali, and other languages. On the island of Rotuma, Rotuman, a Polynesian language, is used.

In Fijian, there are a few differences in the sounds that some letters make that are worthy to note. For one thing, the "c" makes a "th" sound. For example, Fiji-born New Zealand rugby player Joe Rokocoko has often had his name mis-pronounced. (The correct pronunciation is IPA: [rokoðoko]) Another thing is that the letter "b" is always pronounced as if there was an "m" before it, even at the beginning of a word. The same thing applies to the letter "d", except that it is pronouced as if there were an "n" at the beginning. The "g" is also pronounced like an "ng" sound, as in the word "singer". And lastly, the "q" is pronounced like a released "g" with an "ng" before it, like in the word "finger".

Religion

Religion is one of the faultlines between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, with the former overwhelmingly Christian (99.2 percent at the 1996 census), and the latter mostly Hindu (76.7 percent) or Muslim (15.9 percent).

The largest Christian denomination is the Methodist Church. With 36.2 percent of the total population (including almost two-thirds of ethnic Fijians), its share of the population is higher in Fiji than in any other nation. Roman Catholics (8.9 percent), the Assemblies of God (4 percent), and Seventh-day Adventists (2.9 percent) are also significant. These and others denominations also have small numbers of Indo-Fijian members; Christians of all kinds comprise 6.1 percent of the Indo-Fijian population.

Hindus belong mostly to the Sanatan sect (74.3 percent of all Hindus) or else are unspecified (22 percent). The small Arya Samaj sect claims the membership of some 3.7 percent of all Hindus in Fiji. Muslims are mostly Sunni (59.7 percent) or unspecified (36.7 percent), with an Ahmadiya minority (3.6 percent) regarded as heretical by more orthodox Muslims.

The Sikh faith comprises 0.9 percent of the Indo-Fijian population, or 0.4 percent of the national population in Fiji. Their ancestors came from the Punjab region of India.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Fiji

Miscellaneous topics

External links

Finding Fiji (http://www.southpacific.org/text/finding_fiji.html)
Official Website of the Government of Fiji (http://www.fiji.gov.fj/)
Brewer & Joske Sugar Mills Banknote Issues (http://www.numismondo.com/aboutourlogo/brewer.htm)
Interactive maps of Fiji (http://map.mrd.gov.fj/)
Map of Fiji (http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/fiji/index.html)
Official Website of the Parliament of Fiji (http://www.parliament.gov.fj/)
Jane's Fiji Home Page (http://www.janeresture.com/fijihome/fiji.htm)
The Fiji Times - Fiji News, Sport and Weather from Fiji's leading newspaper (http://www.fijitimes.com)

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