Fiji

Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti Republic of the Fiji Islands
Motto: Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui (English: Fear God and honour the Queen)
Anthem: God Bless Fiji
Capital (and largest city)		Suva 18°10′S 178°27′E
Official languages		English, Bau Fijian, and Hindustani (Hindi/Urdu)
Government		Republic
Independence
Area
-	Total	18,270 km² (151st) 7,054 sq mi
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	July 2005 estimate	848,000 (156th)
GDP (PPP)		2005 estimate
-	Total	$5.398 billion (155th)
-	Per capita	$6,000 (2005 est.) (93rd)
Currency		Fijian dollar (FJD)
Time zone		(UTC+12)
Internet TLD		.fj
Calling code		+679
† - Recognised by Great Council of Chiefs, not repudiated

Fiji, officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands, is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. Pronounced “Fee-jee,” the country occupies an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited. There are also 522 islets. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87 percent of the total population. The name Fiji is the old Tongan word for the islands, which is in turn derived from the Fijian language name Viti. For a country of its size, Fiji has capable armed forces, and has contributed to UN peacekeeping missions around the world.

Geography

Fiji is a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific Ocean, lying about 4450km southwest of Hawaii. Viti Levu, the largest island, covers about 57 percent of the nation's land area, hosts the capital Suva, Lautoka, and most other major towns, such as Ba, Nasinu, and Nadi (the site of the international airport), and contains some 69 percent of the population. Vanua Levu, 64km to the north of Viti Levu, covers over 30 percent of the land area and is home to 15 percent of the population. Its main towns are Labasa and Savusavu.

Both islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1300 metres rising abruptly from the shore, and covered with tropical forests. Heavy rains (up to 304cm) fall on the windward (southeastern) side, covering these areas with dense tropical forest. Lowlands on the west of each of the main islands are sheltered by the mountains and have a well-marked dry season favorable to crops like sugarcane.

Other islands and island groups include Taveuni and Kadavu (the third and fourth largest islands respectively), the Mamanuca Islands (just outside Nadi) and Yasawa Islands (to the north of the Mamanucas), which are popular tourist destinations, the Lomaiviti Group, outside of Suva, and the remote Lau Islands. Levuka, Fiji's old capital, is on the island of Ovalau. Rotuma, some 500km north of the archipelago, has a special administrative status in Fiji.

More than half of Fiji's population lives on the island coasts. The interior is sparsely populated due to its rough terrain.

The total land area is 18,270 square kilometres, which is slightly smaller than New Jersey. It has a tropical marine climate with only slight seasonal temperature variation. The highest point is Tomanivi, at 1324 metres.

Cyclonic storms can occur from November to January. Environmental issues facing Fiji are deforestation and soil erosion.

File:Fj-map.png

Map of Fiji

Fiji's location in Oceania

File:PIA03411 Republic of Fiji-NASA.jpg

Fiji, MISR image NASA. [1]

History

Levuka, 1842

The first inhabitants of Fiji arrived from South East Asia long before contact with European explorers in the 17th century. In 1500 B.C.E., Fiji was settled by Polynesian seafarers. From 500 B.C.E., Melanesian seafarers reached Fiji and intermarried with the Polynesian inhabitants, giving rise to the modern Fijian people.

It is documented] that Fiji was visited by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in an attempt to find the Great Southern Continent in 1643. British explorer Captain James Cook visited Vatoa in the southern Lau archipelago, in 1774.

It was not until 1822 that permanent European settlement began at Levuka, Fiji's first modern town, and the first Christian missionaries from Tahiti arrived in southern Lau.

In 1871, the Kingdom of Fiji was established as a constitutional monarchy, with Cakobau as King but with real power in the hands of a Cabinet and Legislature dominated by settlers from Australia. The islands came under British control as a colony in 1874. In 1876, the Great Council of Chiefs was established.

In May, 1879, 463 indentured labourers arrived from India - the first of some 61,000 to come over the ensuing 37 years. In 1881, the first large sugar mill was built at Nausori.

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 killed 14 percent of the Fiji population within sixteen days).

Wealthy Indians were enfranchised for the first time in 1929, when Indian representation in the Legislative Council was made elective. Indigenous Fijians and women were enfranchised in 1963. Nadi Airport was built as an Allied air base in 1939.

Responsible government was instituted in 1967. Ratu Kamisese Mara was appointed first Chief Minister. Fiji was granted independence in 1970. Ratu Mara's Fijian Alliance Party won the first post-independence election in 1972. In 1973, the sugar industry was nationalized.

A constitutional crisis erupted in 1977 in which Governor-General Ratu Sir George Cakobau overturned the March election results following the failure of the winning National Federation Party to put together a government. A further election, held in September of that year to resolve the impasse, resulted in a landslide for the Alliance Party.

The Fiji Labour Party won the election of 1987. Timoci Bavadra became Prime Minister for a month, until, on May 14, Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka carried out a coup, followed by a second coup on September 25 to consolidate the gains of the first. On October 7, Rabuka proclaimed a republic, severing the 113-year link to the British Monarchy. Fiji was expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations. On December 5 of that year, Rabuka appointed Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau as Fiji's first President.

A 1990 constitution guaranteed ethnic Fijian control, and led to heavy Indian emigration. The population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. After the 1992 elections, held under the new constitution, Rabuka became Prime Minister. Amendments enacted in 1997 made the constitution more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by Mahendra Chaudhry, an Indo-Fijian. A year later, this was deposed in a coup led by George Speight, a hardline Fijian nationalist. Fiji's membership of the Commonwealth of Nations was suspended due to the anti-democratic activities connected with the 2000 coup. Democracy was restored towards the end of 2000, and Laisenia Qarase, who had led an interim government in the meantime, was elected Prime Minister. Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth in 2001.

Politics

Fiji's head of state is the president. He is elected by the Great Council of Chiefs, after consulting with the prime minister, for a five-year term. Although his role is largely honorary, modelled on the British monarchy, the president has certain "reserve powers" that may be used in the event of a national crisis. Actual executive power is in the hands of the cabinet, presided over by the prime minister. The cabinet, consisting of around 10 to 25 ministers, is appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister. Every party holding more than eight seats in the house entitled to proportionate representation in the cabinet.

Fiji's legislature, Parliament, consists of two houses. The more powerful House of Representatives has 71 members, elected for five-year terms. Twenty five 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, one Rotuman, and three "general electors" (Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities).

The "upper chamber," the Senate, may not initiate legislation, but may amend or reject it. The 32 Senators are formally appointed by the president on the nomination of the Great Council of Chiefs (14), the Prime Minister (nine), the Leader of the Opposition (eight), and the Council of Rotuma (1). Senators as well as representatives may serve as cabinet ministers.

Fiji maintains an independent judiciary, with judicial power vested in three courts, the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.

Fiji is divided into four divisions: Central Division, (Suva; Northern Division, (Labasa); Eastern Division, (Levuka); and Western Division, (Lautoka). These divisions are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. The island of Rotuma is a dependency.

Municipal governments, with city and town councils presided over by mayors, have been established in Suva, Lautoka, and 10 other towns.

In addition, there are councils to deal with matters affecting ethnic Fijians.

The 55-member Great Council of Chiefs includes three representatives from each of Fiji's 14 provinces and one dependency, three ex-officio members (the president, vice-president, and prime minister), and six government appointees. The Great Council of Chiefs advises the government, and functions as an electoral college to appoint the President of the Republic, as well as 14 of the 32 Senators.

Land tenure is a main issue. In 1909, near the peak of the inflow of indentured Indian laborers, the land ownership pattern was frozen and further sales prohibited. Today over 80 percent of the land is held by indigenous Fijians, under the collective ownership of the traditional Fijian clans. Indo-Fijians produce over 90 percent of the sugar crop but must lease the land they work from its ethnic Fijian owners. The leases are for 10 years, and are usually renewed for two 10-year extensions. Indo-Fijians have pressed for renewable 30-year leases.

The Indo-Fijian parties' major voting bloc is made up of sugarcane farmers. The farmers' main tool of influence has been their ability to galvanize widespread boycotts of the sugar industry, thereby crippling the economy.

Economy

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. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. Yet, because of a tourist boom, short-run economic prospects are good, provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased significantly.

The political turmoil in Fiji has had a severe impact on the economy, which shrank by 2.8 percent in 2000 and grew by only 1 percent 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.

Exports totalled US$862-million in 2004. Export commodities included sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses and coconut oil. Export partners were the United States 23.5 percent, Australia 18.6 percent, United Kingdom 12.3 percent, Samoa 6.3 percent, and Japan 4 percent.

Imports totalled US$1.235- billion in 2004. Import commodities included manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, and chemicals. Import partners were Australia 25.9 percent, Singapore 23.1 percent, and New Zealand 21.1 percent.

Until recently, the tallest building in Fiji was the 14-story Reserve Bank of Fiji Building in Suva, which opened in 1984. As of November 2005, the 17 story Suva Central commercial center is now the tallest building in Fiji.

Demographics

The population of Fiji, estimated at 848,000, is mostly made up of native Fijian people, a people of mixed Polynesia and Melanesian ancestry (54.3 percent), and Indo-Fijians (38.1 percent), descendants of Indian contract labourers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century. The percentage of the population of Indian descent has declined significantly over the last two decades because of emigration. About 1.2 percent are Rotuman—natives of Rotuma Island, whose culture has more in common with Tonga or Samoa. 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.

There are three official languages: English, which was introduced by the former British colonial rulers, Fijian language, 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. English is widely spoken by both ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians. 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. Fijian proper is closely related to the Polynesian languages, such as Tongan. There are many dialects, but the official standard is the speech of Bau, Fiji, the most politically and militarily powerful of the many indigenous kingdoms of the 19th Century.

Fijian Hindustani descends from one of the eastern forms of Hindustani, called Awadhi. It has developed unique features that differentiate it from the Awadhi spoken on the Indian subcontinent. It is spoken by nearly the entire Indo-Fijian community.

Rotuman language is more closely related to the Polynesian languages than to Fijian. Among the Indo-Fijian community, there is a small Gujarati-speaking community, and a few older Indo-Fijians still speak Telugu language and Tamil, with smaller numbers of Bihari, Bengali, and others.

In the Fijian alphabet, some of the letters have unusual values. For one, the "c" is a voiced "th" sound. For example, the name of Fiji-born New Zealand rugby union player Joe Rokocoko is often mis-pronounced. The correct pronunciation is "Rokothoko." Another difference is that the letters "b" and "d" are always pronounced with a nasal consonant before them, [mb, nd], even at the beginning of a word. The "q" is pronounced like a "g" with a nasal "ng" before it, [ŋg] as in the word "finger", while the "g" is pronounced like the "ng" of the word "singer", [ŋ].

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 other 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.

Culture

Fijian society is communal, with great importance attached to the family unit, the village, and the "vanua" (land). A hierarchy of chiefs presides over villages, clans, and tribes. Chiefly positions are hereditary; a deceased chief is invariably followed by a kinsman, though not necessarily his own son. This reflects Polynesian influence: in most other Melanesian societies, chiefs are appointed on merit.

The largest social unit is the "yavusa", defined as the direct descendants of a single "kalou-vu" (deified ancestor), who supposedly arrived with the legendary Lutunasobasoba migration. Chiefly succession was from older brother to younger brother, after the death of their father. When the youngest brother died, the eldest son of the eldest brother became chief. There is more of a tendency nowadays towards primogeniture.

Each brother in the family then formed his own branch of the yavusa, called the "mataqali". Each mataqali became the custodian of a specific task. A fully developed yavusa has several mataqali: the "turaga," who descend from the original ancestor through primogeniture; the "sauturaga," who are next in rank to the chiefs: the "mata ni vanua," the official heralds of the village,who are in charge of ceremonial functions; the "bete," the traditional priestly class (the "kalou-vu" was believed to speak through the bete); and the "bati," the traditional warrior class.

The mataqali are subdivided into "tokatoka", each comprising closely related families. Several yavusa comprise a village, several of which form a district.

The British colonial rulers amalgamated the districts into "yasana", or provinces. The districts also form three "matanitu," or "confederacies." The Kubuna Confederacy, which covers Tailevu, Bau, and Verata, on the south east side of the main island of Viti Levu, is considered to be the most senior. The other two are Burebasaga (covering the rest of Viti Levu), and Tovata, covering Vanua Levu, the Lau Islands, and the Lomaiviti archipelago. Tovata has been politically dominant since Fiji gained its independence in 1970.

An indigenous art form is the "meke," which may incorporate the "seasea" (women's fan dance) or a "make wesi" (men's spear dance). It is usually a narrative of an important event such as a war, a chiefly installation, or even a scandal. Some "mekes" are generations old, and form an important part of Fiji's oral history.

The traditional attire was loin cloths for men and grass skirts for women. Skirts were short for single women, and long for married women, with girls wearing virgin locks before marriage. Most had the lower parts of their bodies decorated with tattoos. Chiefs dressed more elaborately.

Modern Fiji's national dress is the "sulu," which resembles a skirt. It is commonly worn by both men and women. Many are elaborately decorated with patterns and designs. Many men, especially in urban areas, also have sulus tailored as part of their suit. Many will wear a shirt with a western-style collar, tie, and jacket, with a matching sulu and sandals. Even the military uniforms have incorporated the sulu as part of their ceremonial dress. Trousers are rarely worn by indigenous Fijian men.

Women usually wear a multi-layered "tapa cloth" on formal occasions. A blouse made of cotton, silk, or satin, of often worn on top. On special occasions, women often wear a tapa sheath across the chest, rather than a blouse. On other occasions, women may be dressed in a "chamba," also known as a "sulu I ra," a sulu with a specially crafted top.

Men of chiefly rank usually wear a piece of brown "masi" around their arms or their waist. Chiefs may also decorate their hair with sandalwood dust.

Kava, known in Fiji as "yaqona", is Fiji's national drink. Traditionally, it was used only in important ceremonies. Nowadays, it is a social beverage. There is a strict protocol associated with yaqona drinking. One should clap once, clasping the hands, take the cup, and drink the yaqona in a single mouthful, before returning the cup to the bearer, clapping three times, and saying the word "maca" (pronounced: maÞa).

The Sawau tribe of Beqa are noted for their ability to walk on white hot stones without being burned. Strict rituals have to be observed before the firewalking ceremony.

The "lovo" is an earth oven - a fire made on in a pit in the ground lined with stones. It closely resembles the "hangi" of the New Zealand Māori. When the stones are hot, food is buried in the pit and left to cook before being exhumed and eaten. Dishes cooked this way include "palusami," parcels of taro leaves saturated with coconut oil, onions, and sometimes tinned meat.

In the pre-Christian era, human sacrifice was practiced. Men were buried alive to hold the pillars to the house of a chief. Cannibalism was practiced, too: the bodies of enemies slain in battle, or in sacrifice, were piled up and cooked for festivals, such as the installation of chiefs. Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the Bau Island warlord who united the disparate tribes of Fiji and proclaimed himself King in 1871, renounced cannibalism on his conversion to Christianity in 1854.

Rugby union is very popular in Fiji. The highest level of competition is the Colonial Cup. The Fiji national rugby union team competes in international tournaments.

Fijian folk-music styles are distinct in their fusion of Polynesian and Melanesian traditions. Folk music is dominated by vocal church music, as well as dances characterized by rich harmony and complex percussion made from slit drums or natural materials.

Modern Fijians play mandolin, guitar and ukulele along with a variety of indigenous instruments, most commonly “lali” drums. These were an important part of traditional culture, used as a form of communication to announce births, deaths and wars.

"Meke" is a kind of spiritual folk dance, in which dancers bodies are said to be possessed by spirits.

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