Fiji (2001) | Switzerland (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western | 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich |
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: 16.6% (male 623,428; female 591,709)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 2,519,302; female 2,439,560) 65 years and over: 15.6% (male 470,257; female 674,382) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish | grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs |
Airports | 27 (2000 est.) | 66 (2002) |
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: 41
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 14 (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: 25
1524 to 2437 m: 1 under 914 m: 24 (2002) |
Area | total:
18,270 sq km land: 18,270 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 41,290 sq km
land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than New Jersey | slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey |
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. | Switzerland's independence and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and Switzerland was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality. |
Birth rate | 23.33 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.59 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$610 million expenditures: $501 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues: $30 billion
expenditures: $30 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
Capital | Suva | Bern |
Climate | tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation | temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers |
Coastline | 1,129 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
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 | 18 December 1998 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of the Fiji Islands conventional short form: Fiji |
conventional long form: Swiss Confederation
conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation Suisse (French), Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) local short form: Schweiz (German), Suisse (French), Svizzera (Italian) |
Currency | Fijian dollar (FJD) | Swiss franc (CHF) |
Death rate | 5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $193 million (1998) | $NA |
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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Mercer REYNOLDS III
embassy: Jubilaeumsstrasse 93, 3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44 |
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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Christian BLICKENSTORFER
chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Boston |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) |
Economic aid - recipient | $40.3 million (1995) | - |
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). | Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8%, to 0.2% in 2002, and to -0.3% in 2003. |
Electricity - consumption | 474.3 million kWh (1999) | 53.43 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 34.54 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 24.1 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 510 million kWh (1999) | 68.68 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
17.65% hydro: 82.35% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 1.3%
hydro: 59.5% nuclear: 37.1% other: 2% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m |
lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m
highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion | air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity |
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 |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea |
Ethnic groups | Fijian 51% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 44%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% (1998 est.) | German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6% |
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) | Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.56 (2002), 1.69 (2001), 1.69 (2000), 1.5 (1999), 1.45 (1998) |
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: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its own members for a four-year term elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for one-year terms that run concurrently; election last held NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003) election results: Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - NA%; Ruth METZLER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
Exports | $537 million (f.o.b., 1999) | 10,420 bbl/day (2001) |
Exports - commodities | sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish | machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products |
Exports - partners | Australia 33.1%, US 14.8%, UK 13.8%, other Pacific island countries 8.8%, NZ 4.5%, Japan 4.5% (1999) | Germany 19.2%, US 10.2%, Italy 9.6%, France 8.9%, UK 7.7% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
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 | red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $5.9 billion (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $233.4 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
16% industry: 30% services: 54% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 2%
industry: 34% services: 64% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $7,300 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $32,000 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | -8% (1999 est.) | 0.1% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 00 S, 175 00 E | 47 00 N, 8 00 E |
Geography - note | includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited | landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps |
Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total:
3,440 km paved: 1,692 km unpaved: 1,748 km (1996) |
total: 71,011 km
paved: 71,011 km (including 1,638 of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1992) |
Illicit drugs | - | because of more stringent government regulations, used significantly less as a money-laundering center; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin |
Imports | $653 million (f.o.b., 1999) | 289,500 bbl/day (2001) |
Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals | machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles |
Imports - partners | Australia 41.9%, US 14%, NZ 13.3%, Japan 4.8%, Taiwan 1.9% (1999) | Germany 27.4%, France 11.4%, Italy 9.7%, US 8.5%, Russia 5.8%, UK 5.4%, Austria 4.6%, Netherlands 4.1% (2002) |
Independence | 10 October 1970 (from UK) | 1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss Confederation) |
Industrial production growth rate | 2.9% (1995) | 3.2% (2001) |
Industries | tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries | machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments |
Infant mortality rate | 14.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0% (1999 est.) | 0.5% (2002 est.) |
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 | ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | 44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000) |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (1993 est.) | 250 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) | Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly) |
Labor force | 235,000 | 4 million (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | subsistence agriculture 67%, wage earners 18%, salary earners 15% (1987) | services 69.1%, industry 26.3%, agriculture 4.6% (1998) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 1,852 km
border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km |
Land use | arable land:
10% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 10% forests and woodland: 65% other: 11% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 10.57%
permanent crops: 0.61% other: 88.82% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Fijian, Hindustani | German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9% |
Legal system | based on British system | civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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 |
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats - members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States - last held NA 1999 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 19 October 2003 (next to be held NA October 2007) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP 7, SPS 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 27.7%, SPS 24.2%, FDP 16%, CVP 12.9%, Greens 7.7%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SVP 55, SPS 52, FDP 36, CVP 28, Green Party 13, other small parties 16 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
68.25 years male: 65.83 years female: 70.78 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 79.99 years
male: 77.11 years female: 83.02 years (2003 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: 99% (1980 est.) male: female: |
Location | Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand | Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
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 |
none (landlocked) |
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: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 597,049 GRT/1,051,380 DWT
ships by type: bulk 16, cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, container 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: UK 6, US 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; includes ground and naval forces) | Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $24 million (FY98) | $2.548 billion (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.1% (FY98) | 1% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
227,599 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,834,638 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
125,238 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,552,728 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | 20 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
9,471 (2001 est.) |
males: 42,761 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970) | Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291) |
Nationality | noun:
Fijian(s) adjective: Fijian |
noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective: Swiss |
Natural hazards | cyclonic storms can occur from November to January | avalanches, landslides, flash floods |
Natural resources | timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower | hydropower potential, timber, salt |
Net migration rate | -3.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 1,831 km; oil 212 km; refined products 7 km (2003) |
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] | Christian Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Philipp STAEHELIN, president]; Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER and Patrice MUGNY, co-presidents]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Christiane LANGENBERGER, president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Christiane BRUNNER, president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER, president]; and other minor parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 844,330 (July 2001 est.) | 7,318,638 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.41% (2001 est.) | 0.21% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Lambasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Savusavu, Suva | Basel |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998) |
Radios | 500,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
597 km; note - belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation narrow gauge: 597 km 0.610-m gauge (1995) |
total: 4,511 km
standard gauge: 3,483 km 1.435-m gauge (3,472 km electrified) narrow gauge: 982 km 1.000-m gauge (975 km electrified); 46 km 0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified) (2002) |
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) |
Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990) |
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: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 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: excellent domestic and international services
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 72,000 (1997) | 4.82 million (1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 5,200 (1997) | 1.967 million (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | mostly mountains of volcanic origin | mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes |
Total fertility rate | 2.86 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.48 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 6% (1997 est.) | 1.9% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | 203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges |
65 km
note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there are also 12 navigable lakes |