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A group of islands in the South Pacific. East of Australia. Southwest from the Samoan Islands. Equivalent to 135 by 135 kilometers or 84.5 by 84.5 miles. Capital: Suva
Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by a Fijian of Indian descent. A coup in May 2000 was followed by prolonged political turmoil. Parliamentary elections in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies though still with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and a growing tourist industry - with 400,000 to 500,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Fiji's sugar has special access to European Union markets but will be harmed by the EU's decision to cut sugar subsidies."
Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $3,900
2007 $3,900
2006 $4,200
Exports sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil.
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP: 2.2 (estimated for 2005).
Deaths: 5.66. Births: 22.15, down from 22.73 in 2005.
Estimated for 2008: 931,741, up from 893,354 in 2005. Growth rate: 1.388 percent per year.
More leaving than arriving, for 2008 an estimated net loss of 2.62 persons per 1,000 population, down from 3.04 in 2005. Some have been working in Kuwait and Iraq.
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 11.88, down from 12.62 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births)
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2007: 70.44 years, up from 69.53 in 2005
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 0.1 percent (2003)
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.