For those of you irate with jealously, don't worry your country will be just as cool... Sort of ;) or for those who are dear enough to me to read my blog...just come visit so you can see all the beauty that Fiji has to offer to!! But let's have a little history lesson while we wait the arduous 7 weeks before I leave!
The Republic of Fiji is composed of 332 islands, of which approximately 110 are inhabited, spanning approximately 500,000 square miles of the South Pacific Ocean. It is known as the soft-coral capital of the world and thousands of miles of coral reef thread throughout the islands. It is home to a population of approximately 883,000 people.
Fiji obtained its independence from Britain in 1970. A succession of coups - in 1987, 2000, and 2006 - has left Fiji struggling to regain political and economic stability. Leaders of the most recent coup in 2006 established an interim government led by Commodore Bainimarama. The Fijian Court of Appeal declared the December 2006 coup and the interim government unlawful and the 1997 constitution was abrogated. A state of emergency was imposed in April, 2009 and in July 2009 the interim cabinet appointed Epeli Nailatikau, a former military commander, diplomat, and speaker of the House of Representatives as the new President.
Following the coups, Fiji has suffered a high rate of emigration of skilled and professional personnel, causing shortages in the service sectors and in the areas of education and healthcare. Half of the population lives below or close to the poverty line, particularly in rural areas. Over-fishing and environmental degradation have reduced food security from traditional sources. Revenues from tourism, expatriate remittances, and exported sugar and garments remain the largest contributors to the economy, though these have dramatically fallen with the current worldwide recession. Fiji ranks 86 of 169 comparable countries on the Human Development Index (composite indices .669), and places above the regional average of East Asia and the Pacific (composite indices .650).
The currency of the country is the Fijian Dollar.
Although the country has a combination of both native Fijians and Indians it is an English Speaking nation. They do however speak their own dialects but all staff at resorts, restaurants, shops and the like are English speaking.
One of the most common words you hear in Fiji is a cheerful "Bula". This is the Fijian word for "hello" but in Fiji it can also mean a plethora of other things too!
The country's capital is Suva which is located on the eastern side of the main Island, Viti Levu. Suva is also the largest city in Fiji and contains one of the two ports in the country.
Fiji’s current government is headed by the military, per the 1999 constitution. In April 2009, Prime Minister Bainimarama and then-President Iloilo nullified the constitution, restricted the press, and pushed the date for elections to 2014. As a result, Fiji was excluded from the British Commonwealth and the Pacific Islands Forum and has ongoing disputes with other countries over its governance, most notably with Australia and New Zealand.
Indigenous Fijians have a well-developed local system of government, beginning at the village (koro) level. Each village is represented by a village headman (turaga ni koro), who is elected by the villagers. Villages are grouped into 18 districts (tikina) and these districts are grouped into 14 provinces (yasana). The Fijian Affairs Board appoints a “Roko Tui” to head each province.
Indo-Fijians and other non-Fijians are served by a provincial administration that represents ministries at the local level, provides funding for infrastructure projects, and maintains government services. An advisory counselor represents Indo-Fijians’ and other non-indigenous Fijians’ interests at the provincial level. The traditional sociopolitical governing system of the indigenous Fijian people is the chiefdom system. The chief can be male or female, though most are male. The Fijian word for chief is ratu for men and adi (pronuounced “andi”) for women. The chief has sovereign power over the people of his or her village.
(references: Wikipedia, Fiji Welcome book, and CIA World Factbook!)
