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Republic of the Fiji Islands
President: Ratu Josefa Iloilo (2000)
Prime Minister: Laisenia Qarase (2001)
Total area: 7,054 sq mi (18,270 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 905,949 (growth rate: 1.4%); birth rate: 22.6/1000;
infant mortality rate: 12.3/1000; life expectancy: 69.8; density per sq mi: 128
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Suva (on Viti Levu), 177,300
Monetary unit: Fiji dollar
Languages: English (official), Fijian, Hindustani
Ethnicity/race: Fijian 51%, Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders,
overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998)
Religions: Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Islam
8%, other 2%
Literacy rate: 94% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $5.409 billion; per capita $6,100. Real
growth rate: 2%. Inflation: 1.6% (2002 est.). Unemployment: 7.6% (1999). Arable
land: 11%. Agriculture: sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet
potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish. Labor force: 137,000
(1999); agriculture 70%, industry and services 30% (2001 est.). Industries:
tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries.
Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential,
hydropower. Exports: $862 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): sugar, garments, gold,
timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil. Imports: $1.235 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.):
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food,
chemicals. Major trading partners: U.S., Australia, UK, Samoa, Japan, Singapore,
New Zealand (2004).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 102,000 (2003); mobile cellular:
109,900 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998).
Television broadcast stations: n.a. Internet hosts: 493 (2003). Internet users:
55,000 (2003).
Transportation: Railways: total: 597 km; note: belongs to the government-owned
Fiji Sugar (2003). Highways: total: 3,440 km; paved: 1,692 km; unpaved: 1,748 km
(1999 est.) ). Waterways: 203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and
200-metric-ton barges (2004). Ports and harbors: Lambasa, Lautoka, Suva.
Airports: 28 (2004 est.).
International disputes: none
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