Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) | Fiji (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 32% (male 141,979; female 136,378)
15-64 years: 64.1% (male 278,759; female 278,150) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 15,329; female 17,936) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts | sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 27 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 18 (2002) |
Area | total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island |
total: 18,270 sq km
land: 18,270 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly smaller than New Jersey |
Background | There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. | Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). A 1990 constitution favored native Melanesian control of Fiji, but led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. Amendments enacted in 1997 made the constitution more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government and gave a mandate to the government of Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. |
Birth rate | NA | 23.06 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $427.9 million
expenditures: $531.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: West Island
geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 55 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Suva |
Climate | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year | tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 26 km | 1,129 km |
Constitution | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | promulgated on 25 July 1990 and amended on 25 July 1997 to allow nonethnic Fijians greater say in government and to make multiparty government mandatory; entered into force 28 July 1998; note - the May 1999 election was the first test of the amended constitution and introduced open voting - not racially prescribed - for the first time at the national level |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands
conventional short form: Fiji |
Currency | - | Fijian dollar (FJD) |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $135.9 million (2000) |
Dependency status | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador David L. LYON
embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva telephone: [679] 331-4466 FAX: [679] 330-0081 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador Anare JALE
chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $40.3 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry. | 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 and a growing tourist industry - with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 483.7 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | - | 520.1 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 18.5%
hydro: 81.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs | deforestation; soil erosion |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Europeans, Cocos Malays | Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | Fijian dollars per US dollar - 2.19 (2002), 2.28 (2001), 2.13 (2000), 1.97 (1999), 1.99 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since NA 2000); Vice President Jope SENILOLI (since NA 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament; note - there is also a Presidential Council that advises the president on matters of national importance and a Great Council of Chiefs, which consists of the highest ranking members of the traditional chief system elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term; prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA% |
Exports | $NA | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | copra | sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil |
Exports - partners | Australia (2004) | US 25.1%, Australia 19.5%, UK 10.6%, Japan 6.3%, Samoa 5.5% (2002) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $4.822 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 17%
industry: 25% services: 58% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 4.6% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 30 S, 96 50 E | 18 00 S, 175 00 E |
Geography - note | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation | includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited |
Highways | - | total: 3,440 km
paved: 1,692 km unpaved: 1,748 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs | manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Australia (2004) | Australia 37.3%, New Zealand 17.2%, Singapore 16.1%, Japan 4.2%, China 4% (2002) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 10 October 1970 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | copra products and tourism | tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 13.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 2% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | none | ACP, AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 30 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts |
Labor force | NA | 137,000 (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others | agriculture, including subsistence agriculture 70% (2001 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 10.95%
permanent crops: 4.65% other: 84.4% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Malay (Cocos dialect), English | English (official), Fijian, Hindustani |
Legal system | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws | based on British system |
Legislative branch | unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (34 seats; 24 appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs, nine appointed by the president, and one appointed by the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, three reserved for other ethnic groups, one reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 25 August through 1 September, 19 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2006) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - FLP 34.8%, SDL 26%, NFP 10.1%, MV 9.9%, independents 2.7%, other 16.5%; seats by party - NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 68.88 years
male: 66.43 years female: 71.44 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7% male: 95.5% female: 91.9% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka | Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,870 GRT/14,787 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Singapore 4 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force | - |
Military branches | - | Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), includes ground forces, naval division |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $39.21 million (FY02) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.2% (FY02) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 235,546 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 129,432 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 9,359 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) |
Nationality | noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
noun: Fijian(s)
adjective: Fijian |
Natural hazards | cyclone season is October to April | cyclonic storms can occur from November to January |
Natural resources | fish | timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower |
Net migration rate | NA | -3.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | Bai Kei Viti Party or BKV [Ratu Tevita MOMOEDONU]; Conservative Alliance Party/Matanitu Vanua or MV [Ratu Rakuita VAKALALABURE]; Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Felipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or FAP [Adi Kuini SPEED], Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Felipe BOLE], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Tupeni BABA]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDRHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP [leader NA] (became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP [leader NA]; Justice and Freedom Party or AIM [leader NA]; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR [leader NA]; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU [Meli BOGILEKA]; Party of the Truth or POTT [leader NA]; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE]; United General Party or UGP [Millis Mick BEDDOES] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 574 (July 2006 est.) | 868,531 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | 25.5% (1990-91) |
Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | 1.41% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Lambasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Malau, Savusavu, Suva, Vuda |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | - | total: 597 km
narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to September) (2002) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2%
note: Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority (1986) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | NA | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system
domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station |
general assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center
domestic: NA international: access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 287 (1992) | 80,901 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | note - analog cellular service available | 5,200 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | NA |
Terrain | flat, low-lying coral atolls | mostly mountains of volcanic origin |
Total fertility rate | NA | 2.81 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2000 est.) | 7.6% (1999) |
Waterways | - | 203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges |