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Compare Fiji (2001) - British Virgin Islands (2002)

Compare Fiji (2001) z British Virgin Islands (2002)

 Fiji (2001)British Virgin Islands (2002)
 FijiBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years:
32.92% (male 141,724; female 136,216)

15-64 years:
63.52% (male 268,411; female 267,871)

65 years and over:
3.56% (male 14,007; female 16,101) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 22.4% (male 2,401; female 2,351)


15-64 years: 72.7% (male 7,962; female 7,509)


65 years and over: 4.9% (male 565; female 484) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 27 (2000 est.) 3 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total:
3

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
24

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
19 (2000 est.)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Area total:
18,270 sq km

land:
18,270 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 153 sq km


land: 153 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative slightly smaller than New Jersey about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background 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 of 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. New elections are scheduled for August 2001. First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate 23.33 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues:
$610 million

expenditures:
$501 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital Suva Road Town
Climate tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 1,129 km 80 km
Constitution 10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); a new constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25 July 1990; amended 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 1 June 1977
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of the Fiji Islands

conventional short form:
Fiji
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency Fijian dollar (FJD) US dollar (USD)
Death rate 5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $193 million (1998) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Osman M. SIDDIQUE

embassy:
31 Loftus Street, Suva

mailing address:
P. O. Box 218, Suva

telephone:
[679] 314466

FAX:
[679] 300081
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Salaseini Lelelvawalu VOSAILAGI

chancery:
Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:
[1] (202) 337-8320

FAX:
[1] (202) 337-1996
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $40.3 million (1995) NA
Economy - overview 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 are the major sources of foreign exchange. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity. Roughly 300,000 tourists visit each year, including thousands of Americans following the start of regularly scheduled non-stop air service from Los Angeles. Fiji's growth slowed in 1997 because the sugar industry suffered from low world prices and rent disputes between farmers and landowners. Drought in 1998 further damaged the sugar industry, but its recovery in 1999 contributed to robust GDP growth. Long-term problems include low investment and uncertain property rights. The political turmoil in Fiji has had a severe impact with the economy shrinking by 8% in 1999 and over 7,000 people losing their jobs. The interim government's 2001 budget is an attempt to attract foreign investment and restart economic activity. The government's ability to manage the budget and fulfill predictions of 4% growth for 2001 will depend on a return to stability, a regaining of investor confidence, and the absence of international sanctions (which could cripple Fiji's sugar and textile industry). The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 474.3 million kWh (1999) 39.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 510 million kWh (1999) 42 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
17.65%

hydro:
82.35%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Tomanivi 1,324 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
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 Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates Fijian dollars per US dollar - 2.1814 (January 2001), 2.1286 (2000), 1.9696 (1999), 1.9868 (1998), 1.4437 (1997), 1.4033 (1996) the US dollar is used
Executive branch note:
armed ethnic Fijian terrorists, led by George SPEIGHT stormed the Parliament building on 19 May 2000; ethnic Indo-Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra CHAUDHRY and his government were held hostage for 56 days; following the attempted coup, the Commander of the Fiji Military Forces, naval Commodore Frank BAINIMARAMA declared martial law and dissolved the government on 29 May 2000; an interim government, headed by interim Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE, was appointed to serve until a new constitution was initiated and subsequent elections held; in November 2000, Fiji's High Court upheld the 1997 constitution and ruled that Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA remained the president; Justice Anthony GATES concluded that MARA should recall the pre-May 19th Parliament and appoint a prime minister to form a new government; the Fiji Court of Appeals upheld GATES' decision on 1 March 2001; it ruled that the 1997 constitution had not been abrogated, Parliament had not been dissolved, only prorogued for six months, and that the presidency remained vacant since MARA's resignation took effect 15 December 2000; President Ratu Josefa ILOILO reinstated QARASE's interim government as the caretaker government and elections were scheduled for August 2001; approximately 23 fluid political parties are currently jockeying for power

chief of state:
President Ratu Josefa ILOILO (since NA 2000); Vice President Jope SENILOLI (since NA 2000)

head of government:
Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since NA 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Epeli NAILATIKAU (since NA 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 chiefly 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 ILOILO elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)


head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports $537 million (f.o.b., 1999) $6.2 million
Exports - commodities sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Australia 33.1%, US 14.8%, UK 13.8%, other Pacific island countries 8.8%, NZ 4.5%, Japan 4.5% (1999) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description 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 blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP purchasing power parity - $5.9 billion (1999 est.) purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
16%

industry:
30%

services:
54% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 2%


industry: 6%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $7,300 (1999 est.) purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -8% (1999 est.) 4.4% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 S, 175 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total:
3,440 km

paved:
1,692 km

unpaved:
1,748 km (1996)
total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center
Imports $653 million (f.o.b., 1999) $230 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Australia 41.9%, US 14%, NZ 13.3%, Japan 4.8%, Taiwan 1.9% (1999) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 10 October 1970 (from UK) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 2.9% (1995) 4% (1985)
Industries tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate 14.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0% (1999 est.) 3.3% (2000)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 2 (2000) 16 (2000)
Irrigated land 10 sq km (1993 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force 235,000 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation subsistence agriculture 67%, wage earners 18%, salary earners 15% (1987) agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land:
10%

permanent crops:
4%

permanent pastures:
10%

forests and woodland:
65%

other:
11% (1993 est.)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (1998 est.)
Languages English (official), Fijian, Hindustani English (official)
Legal system based on British system English law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs, nine appointed by the prime minister, eight appointed by the leader of the opposition, 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; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
House of Representatives - last held 11 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004)

election results:
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Fiji Labor Party 37, others 34
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2003)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population:
68.25 years

male:
65.83 years

female:
70.78 years (2001 est.)
total population: 75.85 years


male: 74.9 years


female: 76.84 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
91.6%

male:
93.8%

female:
89.3% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Oceania Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims 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
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine total:
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 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 (2000 est.)
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT


ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; includes ground and naval forces) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $24 million (FY98) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.1% (FY98) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
227,599 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
125,238 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
9,471 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun:
Fijian(s)

adjective:
Fijian
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards cyclonic storms can occur from November to January hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower NEGL
Net migration rate -3.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; Fijian Nationalist Federation Party or NFP [Singh RAKKA]; Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA]; National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Jai Ram REDDY]; United General Party or UGP [David PICKERING] Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 844,330 (July 2001 est.) 21,272 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 1.41% (2001 est.) 2.16% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Lambasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Savusavu, Suva Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 500,000 (1997) 9,000 (1997)
Railways total:
597 km; note - belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation

narrow gauge:
597 km 0.610-m gauge (1995)
0 km
Religions 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)
Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
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:
0.87 male(s)/female

total population:
1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 21 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 72,000 (1997) 10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular 5,200 (1997) NA
Television broadcast stations NA 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain mostly mountains of volcanic origin coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 2.86 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 6% (1997 est.) 3% (1995)
Waterways 203 km

note:
122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges
none
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