Nowadays, it is difficult to find a person who has not heard of Fiji. This is a real tropical paradise where life is easy and comfortable. However, usually this information is exhausted - few know about the exact location of the country of Fiji, its population and other interesting facts. We will try to tell you more about this, but at the same time we will give some advice to tourists who are going to spend their holidays there.
Where is it located?
If you are interested in the island of Fiji, where it is located - it is extremely important to know. It is located in Oceania, in the South Pacific. From all sides of the world it is surrounded by such states as New Zealand, Tonga, Vanuatu and Tuvalu.
The capital of Fiji is Suva, the largest city in the state.
In general, it would be right to call the state a whole archipelago. After all, it consists of 322 large islands, as well as 500 reefs. However, no more than 100 islands are suitable for life - some are significantly flooded during high tides, and being on others is dangerous during hurricanes, which are quite common here. If you find Fiji on a world map (the map must be very large so that you can see the tiny specks of islands), you can make sure that the largest island in the archipelago - Viti Levu - has an area of ​​just over 10 thousand square kilometers. The rest is much smaller.
Also, talking about Fiji, the time zone is worth mentioning. The island state is located on the opposite side of the world from Greenwich, so the time here is 12 hours ahead of it. The difference with Moscow is +8 hours.
Area and Population
The total area of ​​the islands that make up the state of Fiji is only 18 thousand square kilometers. Because of this, the state is rightfully considered to be very small, occupying 151 out of 194 possible positions on this indicator.
As already mentioned, far from the whole area is suitable for living - only large islands that are not flooded during high tides and which are large enough so that during a storm at sea could escape to the safe depths of the island are relatively safe.
The population of Fiji is also not too big - only 885 thousand people. According to this indicator, the republic is at 153 out of 194. So the area and population are quite consistent.
True, in recent years the number of inhabitants has been growing rapidly. In the middle of the twentieth century, the population was only 260 thousand people, in 1970 - 588 thousand, ten years ago the islanders became already 837 thousand. So population growth is proceeding rather rapidly. Therefore, it is not known whether the local people will be able to live comfortably in a few decades, when their number, according to experts, will exceed one and a half million.
Ethnic Composition and Religion
The majority of the population today are indigenous people - about 57%. The second position is occupied by long-assimilated immigrants from India, called Fiji Indians. Most of the remaining inhabitants are immigrants from other islands, who arrived several generations ago, and more recently. There are practically no Europeans here - only a little more than 1% of local residents can boast that at least a little white blood flows in their veins. Mostly these are descendants of convicts who referred to the islands at the beginning of the 19th century for growing cotton. At the end of the 19th century, cotton fields (due to the global decline in raw material prices) replaced sugar plantations, thanks to which a tiny colonial state brought England a lot of money.
Fiji countries may surprise with an unusual variety of religions. Most of the population (approximately 65%) are Christians - Methodists and Catholics. About 28% are Hindu. But there are Muslims (6%), sihki and people with a different religion (about 1%).
Therefore, the Prophet’s birthday, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, All Saints Day, Ratu Sukun’s Day, Queen’s Birthday and many other holidays are celebrated on the same scale.
History
The island of Fiji on the world map appeared in 1642 thanks to a seafarer from Holland Abel Tasman. He described how persistently the local tribes are trying to exterminate each other, dreaming of gaining control of the entire city. Cannibalism flourished. Constant epidemics mowed hundreds of people, and sometimes thousands. As already mentioned, in the 19th century, Europeans actively cultivated cotton in this fertile climate, and then sugarcane. It is because of this that today so many immigrants from India live in Fiji - they were often hired to work in the fields. It quickly became clear that the wage worker works more diligently than the convicts.
However, there was still no unity - local residents of different tribes did not like each other, which often resulted in full-fledged conflicts.
Everything changed when Ratu Seru Epenisa Tacombau came to power. In his youth, he was a supporter of old traditions and did not even disdain cannibalism. But later he adopted Christianity, began to carefully study the administrative and political structure of enlightened European countries.
As a result, when he came to power (and this happened in the middle of the 19th century), he managed to unite peoples and islands into a single state. And so the Republic of Fiji appeared. Alas, very soon Tacombau realized that he could not solve all the problems on his own. As a result, in 1874 he renounced his title, recognizing the patroness of the island, the British Queen Victoria, hoping that the British doctors, military and teachers will help restore order on the island. It was for this decision that he became a national hero, who is remembered and revered in our time. The flag of Fiji also reminds of this event - the flag of Great Britain occupies the upper left corner of it.
In 1970, the state gained independence - by this time it could boast of advanced education and health care in the region. However, shortly after the British left the islands, a series of coups took place, almost dragging the state into the abyss of a civil war, which would lead it to the next tribal wars. The constitution was repealed, the new authorities banned the Indians from holding any significant posts. This led to a strong outflow of immigrants from India and their descendants. As for the current realities, from the 1970s to the present day in Fiji there are occasional outbreaks of violence, coup attempts and other situations that destabilize the political situation.
Political structure
Speaking about politics, it is worth noting that today the position of President of Fiji is held by Gioe Conrote. The retired major general has considerable influence in the army, which allows him to hold his post. The power of the president is limited by parliament. The Speaker of the Fiji Parliament (Jiko Fatafei Souvenir currently holds this post) can block any decision by the president, so it cannot be said that power is concentrated in the hands of one person.
The number of members of parliament is regularly changed in accordance with the current constitution. From 1972 to 1992, it consisted of 52 people. Then this number increased to 70 people. Since 1998 - up to 71 people. Since 2014, 50 members have again been included, including the Speaker of the Fiji Parliament.
The state emblem consists of a shield supported by two aborigines, over which a small sailing ship floats. The shield is divided into several parts - the English lion is in the upper one, and the lower one is divided into four sections with the image of sugarcane, palm trees, a white dove and a bunch of bananas. Under the shield is written the national motto: Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui ("Fear God and Honor the Queen). Fiji's flag is a blue canvas, the upper left corner of which is occupied by the British Union Jack, and the shield familiar to the reader is on the right.
Economy
In many ways, the country's economy rests on tourism - every year millions of people come here to enjoy the pristine nature, to look at unusual rites - we will talk about this a little later.
Also, agriculture, fishing, and gold mining are quite developed here - all this remained after the reign of white people and was carefully preserved by rational residents during any coups. The manufacturing industry includes light, food, as well as crafts. The state mainly exports textiles, fish, sugar and gold. Imports include fuels, food and industrial products, and chemicals. Due to this, per capita GDP in 2014 amounted to $ 8,236 - significantly more than most states in the region.
The main currency circulating in the country is the Fijian dollar. It is equal to 48 cents of the US dollar, or 30 Russian rubles.
However, almost everywhere you can pay with other types of currencies - American, New Zealand and Australian dollars. Some large restaurants and shops even accept pounds.
Exchange offices are easy to find in hotels, airports, banks, and the rate in all corresponds to the established by the state or is very slightly different from it.
Banknotes can have denomination from 2 to 50 Fijian dollars. Coins from 1 cent to 1 dollar are also used.
Healthcare
This is not to say that Fiji’s medicine is at the global level. Most of the equipment left by the British after leaving, either failed, or hopelessly outdated. There are no good medical educational institutions here either.
But still, when compared with other states in the region that have not been under British rule for a century, it turns out that Fiji is far from the last in this regard. Almost 5% of GDP is spent on the development and maintenance of medicine. In addition, yellow fever, malaria and other dangerous diseases that are the main cause of epidemics and deaths in tropical countries are completely eradicated here.
Armed forces
Surprisingly, Fiji has its own army, and even a fleet.
The total number of soldiers is 3.5 thousand people. There are also about 6 thousand reservists trained. And the army is not idle. She regularly participates in peacekeeping operations around the world. This is precisely the country's main source of income - the UN pays well for the willingness to send soldiers anywhere in the world. Fiji is currently located in Sinai, Iraq, Lebanon and East Timor.
The entire navy consists of 9 patrol boats, two auxiliary vessels and a presidential yacht.
Fiji Tourism
Many tourists dream of visiting Fiji. And no wonder - here everyone will find something interesting for himself.
There is no industry here, so nature really remains virgin. Many animals living here and fearlessly going out to people are almost never found in other countries of the world. Therefore, quite often, lovers of exotic nature come here, just to take a look at them.
Magnificent beaches, clear warm water and gorgeous coral reefs also attract here lovers of swimming, surfing and diving from around the world. Winter lasts from early June to mid-October. At this time, the temperature can drop to +20 degrees Celsius. The rest of the time it is much hotter, so tourists from all over the world are eager to come here in order to escape from winter and spend at least a week in the sultry tropical sun.
Often people fly to Fiji for wedding ceremonies. The rituals held by local experts are very unusual, so tourists who are passionate for exotic pay with pleasure.
Travel Tips
In general, the Fiji Islands do not pose a threat to tourists - the police, the army and ordinary locals will do everything to protect people who bring considerable money, by local standards, to the country. Nevertheless, it will be useful to remember certain rules so that the vacation is not overshadowed by unpleasant situations.
It’s worth starting with water. You can drink exclusively bottled water - you can’t take it from open sources in any case, it is likely to get infected.
Also, before visiting the islands, it will be useful to get vaccinated against typhoid, hepatitis B, polio and cholera - although there have not been any epidemics here for a long time, the risk of becoming a victim of an isolated case always remains.
When choosing clothes, you should choose the option with long sleeves. Do not forget about the wide-brimmed hat - the hot tropical sun will quickly burn any skin. And spending half the vacation in the room, suffering from burns and not having the opportunity to walk around the islands, is not the best prospect.
Large crowds are best avoided - pickpockets skillfully isolate Europeans and easily clean their pockets, often acting in groups. For the same reason, you should not carry jewelry and large amounts of money with you unless absolutely necessary.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. Now you know everything about the island of Fiji: where is it located, what is its area, population and history of the state and what is its economy based on. Let's hope that the visit there will not be overshadowed by any troubles.