Fiji

Fiji (Fijian: Viti; Hindustānī: फ़िजी فِجی), 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. more...

Home
Africa
Asia
Commonwealth/ British...
Aden
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Ascension Island
Australia
Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Basutoland/ Lesotho
Bechuanaland/ Botswana
Bermuda
British Antarctic Territory
British Guiana/ Guyana
British Honduras/ Belize
British Indian Ocean...
British Levant
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Burma
Canada
Cayman Islands
Ceylon
Collections/ Mixture
Cook Is/ Aitutaki/ Penrhyn
Cyprus
Dominica
Falkland Is & Dependencies
Fiji
Gambia
Gibraltar
Gilbert & Ellice Is/...
Gold Coast/ Ghana
Grenada
Heligoland
Hong Kong
India
Jamaica
Kenya/ Uganda/ Tanganyika
Kuwait
Leeward Islands
Malaya/ Malaysia/ S. Setts.
Maldive Is.
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat
Morocco Agencies
Nauru
New Hebrides/ Vanuatu
New Zealand
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Borneo
Northern Rhodesia/ Zambia
Nyasaland/ BCA/ Malawi
Omnibus Issues
Other Commonwealth Stamps
Pakistan/ Bahawalpur
Palestine
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Island
Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe
Samoa
Sarawak
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somaliland Protectorate
South Africa
South West Africa/ Namibia
St Helena
St Kitts & Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent/ Grenadines
Sudan
Swaziland
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tristan da Cunha
Turks & Caicos Is
Tuvalu
Zanzibar
Great Britain
Ireland
Latin America
Middle East
Philately/ Postal History
Rest of the World
Thematics
United States

The country occupies an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited; in addition, there are some 522 islets. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for some 87% of the total population. The name Fiji is the old Tongan word for the islands, which is in turn derived from the Fijian name Viti.

History

The first inhabitants of Fiji arrived from South East Asia long before contact with European explorers in the 17th century. Evidence shows through pottery excavated from Fijian towns that Fiji was settled before or around 1000 BC. This academic question of Pacific migration still lingers. It is documented that Fiji was visited by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in an attempt to find the Great Southern Continent in 1643. 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 consequence of the second 1987 coup was that the British Monarchy and the Governor General were replaced by a non-executive President, and the long form of the country's name changed from Dominion of Fiji to Republic of Fiji (in turn changed to Republic of the Fiji Islands in 1997). The coups contributed to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority.

A 1990 constitution guaranteed ethnic Fijian control of Fiji. 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. 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 as a Commonwealth Republic in 2001.

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

The Politics of Fiji take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Fiji is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Fiji. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Read more at Wikipedia.org