|RConstitution:|N Republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.
|RNational holiday:|N Fiji Day, October 10.
|RNature and climate:|N More than 330 islands in the Pacific Ocean, 2 500 km east of Australia, of which 110 are inhabited.
The two main islands are mountainous with tropical forests and with large fertile areas. Highest peak 1 323 m.a.s.l.
Most of the other islands are coralislands, protected by coralreefs.
Tropical climate with an average temperature in January of 27°C and in July 23°C.
Percipitation 3000 mm.
|RPeople:|N 48% descendants of Indian workers brought to the islands to work on the plantations in the 19th century. 46% Fijian and 2% European.
|REconomy:|N 44% of the labor force is occupied in agriculture. Chief crops are sugar, bananas, ginger and copra.
Major industries include sugarmills, goldmines and mills for processing copra into coconut oil and coconut meal.
There is also a great variety of light industries.
|RHistory:|N The islands were discovered in 1643 by Abel Tasman and in 1774 visited by captain James Cook. The first detailed record is from captain Bligh after the mutiny of the Bounty in 1789. The search for sandalwood brought many ships in the 19th century.
Deserters and shipwrecked stayed on the islands. Tribal wars were bloody and common until Fiji was ceded to Britain 1874. The British administrators produced order out of the chaos.
Fiji became an independent parliamentary democracy in 1970.
The government was ousted by a military coup in 1987. Republic was declared and membership of the Commonwealth lapsed.
Great cultural differences between the majority Indian people and the native Fijians have caused political polarization.
