Compare Congo, Republic of the (2002) - Fiji (2006)

Compare Congo, Republic of the (2002) z Fiji (2006)

	Congo, Republic of the (2002)	Fiji (2006)

Administrative divisions	9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune; Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha	4 divisions and 1 dependency; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma, Western
Age structure	0-14 years: 42.4% (male 630,985; female 622,024) 15-64 years: 54.3% (male 783,238; female 823,882) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 39,369; female 58,950) (2002 est.)	0-14 years: 31.1% (male 143,847/female 138,061) 15-64 years: 64.6% (male 293,072/female 292,312) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 17,583/female 21,074) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products	sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish
Airports	33 (2001)	28 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002)	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 11 (2002)	total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 18 (2006)
Area	total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km	total: 18,270 sq km land: 18,270 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Montana	slightly smaller than New Jersey
Background	Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO.	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). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led 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 led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE.
Birth rate	37.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	22.55 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $870 million expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)	revenues: $720.5 million expenditures: $728.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital	Brazzaville	name: Suva (on Viti Levu) geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator	tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	169 km	1,129 km
Constitution	constitution approved by referendum in January 2002	enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo	conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands conventional short form: Fiji local long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti local short form: Fiji/Viti
Currency	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States	-
Death rate	16.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	5.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$5 billion (1999 est.)	$127 million (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Robin R. SANDERS embassy: NA mailing address: NA telephone: [243] (88) 43608 note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)	chief of mission: Ambassador Larry Miles DINGER 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	chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860	chief of mission: Ambassador Jesoni VITUSAGAVULU chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996
Disputes - international	most of the Congo River boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area)	none
Economic aid - recipient	$159.1 million (1995) (1995)	$63.9 million (2004)
Economy - overview	The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to a shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. Given a fragile peace, agreements with the IMF and the World Bank, and general international support for reconstruction and development, prospects for structural reform and 4% growth in 2002-03 appear strong.	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 300,000 to 400,000 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. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but is not efficient. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's ability to manage its budget. Yet, because of a tourist boom, short-run economic prospects are good, provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have increased significantly.
Electricity - consumption	406.9 million kWh (1999)	721.4 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (1999)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	126 million kWh (1999)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	302 million kWh (1999)	775.7 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 1% hydro: 99% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m
Environment - current issues	air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation	deforestation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3% note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997	Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.)
Exchange rates	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro	Fijian dollars per US dollar - 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003), 2.1869 (2002), 2.2766 (2001)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%	chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 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 elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA
Exports	$2.6 billion f.o.b. (2001)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	petroleum 90%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds	sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil
Exports - partners	US 20.9%, South Korea 15.5%, China 6.7%, Germany 3.2% (2000)	US 19.7%, Australia 17%, UK 12.3%, Japan 5.4%, Samoa 4.1% (2005)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia	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 - $2.5 billion (2001 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 10% industry: 48% services: 42% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 8.9% industry: 13.5% services: 77.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $900 (2001 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	4.2% (2001 est.)	1.7% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	1 00 S, 15 00 E	18 00 S, 175 00 E
Geography - note	about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them	includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited
Highways	total: 12,800 km paved: 1,242 km unpaved: 11,558 km (1996)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	$725 million f.o.b. (2001)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs	manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals
Imports - partners	France 20.5%, US 9.8%, Italy 7.5%, Belgium 3.8% (2000)	Singapore 27.4%, Australia 23.6%, NZ 18.9%, Thailand 4.5% (2005)
Independence	15 August 1960 (from France)	10 October 1970 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes	tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries
Infant mortality rate	97.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3% (2001 est.)	3% (2005)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO	ACP, AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	10 sq km (1998 est.)	30 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme	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	-	agriculture: 70% industry and services: 30% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 5,504 km border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0.5% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 99.37% (1998 est.)	arable land: 10.95% permanent crops: 4.65% other: 84.4% (2005)
Languages	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)	English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani
Legal system	based on French civil law system and customary law	based on British system
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by NA May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 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 and 19 September 2001 (next to be held 6-13 May 2006) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - SDL 27.5%, FLP 26.5%, MV 4.2%, NLUP 1.3%, NFP 1.2%, independents 1.4%, UGP .3%; seats by party - SDL 32, FLP 27, MV 6, NLUP 2, NFP 1, independents 2, UGP 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 47.71 years male: 44.27 years female: 51.24 years (2002 est.)	total population: 69.82 years male: 67.32 years female: 72.45 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.9% male: 83.1% female: 67.2% (1995 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 95.5% female: 91.9% (2003 est.)
Location	Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon	Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references	Africa	Oceania
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 200 NM	measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added
Merchant marine	-	total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,867 GRT/8,432 DWT by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2006)
Military branches	Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie, National Police	Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Forces (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$84 million (FY01)	$36 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.8% (FY01)	2.2% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 702,048 (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 356,388 (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - military age	20 years of age (2002 est.)	-
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 32,350 (2002 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 August (1960)	Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970)
Nationality	noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo	noun: Fijian(s) adjective: Fijian
Natural hazards	seasonal flooding	cyclonic storms can occur from November to January
Natural resources	petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower	timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	-2.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines	crude oil 25 km	-
Political parties and leaders	the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]	Conservative Alliance Party/Matanitu Vanua or CAMV [Ratu Josefa DIMURI]; Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP (became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP; Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE]; Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA]; Party of the Truth or POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL [Laisenia QARASE]; United General Party or UGP [Millis Mick BEDDOES]
Political pressure groups and leaders	Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC	NA
Population	2,958,448 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)	905,949 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	25.5% (1990-91)
Population growth rate	2.18% (2002 est.)	1.4% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors	Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)	AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	341,000 (1997)	-
Railways	total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.)	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 December) (2005)
Religions	Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%	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
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)	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: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out-of-order domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	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: country code - 679; access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; 2 satellite earth stations - 2 INMARSAT (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	22,000 (1998)	102,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	3,300 (1998)	142,200 (2004)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2002)	NA
Terrain	coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin	mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Total fertility rate	4.94 children born/woman (2002 est.)	2.73 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	7.6% (1999)
Waterways	1,120 km note: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only	203 km note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004)

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