|
Location: Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean,
about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S, 175 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 18,270 sq km
land: 18,270 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,129 km
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
Climate: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature
variation
Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m
Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore
oil potential, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 10%
forests and woodland: 65%
other: 11% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: cyclonic storms can occur from November
to January
Environment - current issues: 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
Geography - note: includes 332 islands of which approximately
110 are inhabited
Geography
Fiji consists of 18,376 square km of land and includes about 330
islands (depending on how many reefs and tiny islets you take into
consideration), of which about 100 are inhabited.
The largest island and population center is Viti Levu, which has
an area of 10,388 square km, slightly smaller that the big island
of Hawaii. Vanua Levu, located northeast of Viti Levu, is the second
largest island and is a bit more than half the size of Viti Levu.
Taveuni, the Garden Island of Fiji and a popular dive destination,
lies to the east of Vanua Levu separated from it by the Somosomo
Strait.
Also a major scuba spot, and tied with Taveuni as the third largest
island in the archipelago is Kadavu, which lies to the south of
Viti Levu.
Fiji's remaining islands are small and are divided into three
main groups, Lomaiviti, Lau and the Yasawas. A smaller cluster of
islands, home to many popular resorts, is the Mamanuca Group just
offshore from Viti Levu's west coast.
Climate
Fiji enjoys a warm and pleasant temperature throughout the year
- average 72°F in the mild, dry season of May through October, and
78.5°F in the warm, wetter season of November through April.
Dress for Fiji is cool and casual, though swimsuits and brief attire
should be confined to beaches and hotel swimming pools.
Fiji is a country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is made up of
more than 800 scattered islands. About 100 of its islands are permanently
inhabited.
Fiji has a total land area of 18,274 square kilometres. The island
of Viti Levu (Big Fiji) covers about half this area, and Vanua Levu
(Big Land) occupies about a third.
Many of the other islands of Fiji are merely piles of sand on coral
reefs.
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.
Fiji has been a major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions in
various parts of the world.
|
