highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m
Natural resources:
timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 10.95% permanent crops: 4.65% other: 84.4% (2001)
Irrigated land:
30 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
cyclonic storms can occur from November to January
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited
People Fiji
Population:
893,354 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 31.4% (male 143,066/female 137,346)
15–64 years: 64.5% (male 288,434/female 287,720)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 16,797/female 19,991) (2005 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.28 years
male: 23.84 years
female: 24.74 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.4% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
22.73 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
5.65 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
−3.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.53 years
male: 67.05 years
female: 72.14 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
600 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Fijian(s)
adjective: Fijian
Ethnic groups:
Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture),
Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and
other 5% (1998 est.)
Religions:
Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim
8%, other 2%
note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is
a Muslim minority (1986)
Languages:
English (official), Fijian, Hindustani
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 95.5%
female: 91.9% (2003 est.)
Government Fiji
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands
conventional short form: Fiji
Government type:
republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally
declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
Capital:
Suva (Viti Levu)
Administrative divisions:
4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*,
Western
Independence:
10 October 1970 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970)
Constitution:
promulgated on 25 July 1990; amended on 25 July 1997 to allow
nonethnic Fijians greater say in government and to make multiparty
government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998
Legal system:
