More than 300 islands form the Melanesian country of the Republic of Fiji (Fijian: Matanitu Tugalala o Viti, Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी गणराज्य Fijī Gaṇarājya), one of the most developed economies in the Pacific, with a population of a little over 925,000 as of 2018 estimates.
At first, the Europeans weren’t too keen on visiting the islands because of the cannibalism of the tribes (they even dubbed the islands Cannibal Isles). Eventually, the Dutch settled there while they were in the neighborhood and some time later they gave it to the British, turning it into a colony. The current British King or Queen was automatically elected as Paramount High Chief by the Council of High Chiefs.
Fiji got its independence in 1970. Since then, it has passed through a certain number of coups; the last one (in 2006
) eventually triggered a constitutional crisis in 2009 regarding its legality. For this reason, the country was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations from 2006 to 2014, marking the first time a Commonwealth country was suspended twice (Fiji was previously suspended from 2001 to 2002, thanks to a civilian coup the year prior).
The country has been a parliamentary republic since 1987, with the President serving as a ceremonial figurehead. Strangely, Fiji still uses a flag with a Union Jack in it even though the British monarch is no longer the head of state. The Council of High Chiefs (which chose both the President and the Prime Minister) passed a resolution that they still considered then Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II, to be the Paramount High Chief, but this was not recognized by the Fijian government, and the queen herself did not use "Paramount High Chief" as part of her styles. The Council was disbanded by decree in 2012, making Elizabeth II the last Paramount High Chief.
A little more than half of the total population consists of ethnic Fijians, who now call themselves iTaukei. Slightly under 40% is of Indian origin, descended from migrant workers brought to the islands during British rule from the 1870s to World War I. The remaining 5–6% consists of Europeans, part-Europeans, Chinese, and other Pacific Islanders. This last category also includes the Rotumans, the indigenous people of a small group of islands north of the main grouping, who are mostly Polynesian by ethnicity with a culture that freely mixes Polynesian, Melanesian, and Micronesian traditions (their islands are something of a crossroads for that part of the Pacific).
The official languages are Fijian (a Polynesian language spoken by iTaukei) and English (widely spoken by all ethnicities); a local dialect of Hindi is spoken by the Indian population. The Rotumans have their own indigenous language, a Polynesian language closely related to Fijian. Their favorite sport (especially for the iTaukei) is rugby and the main drivers of the economy are tourism and sugar.
During World War II, Fijian troops were part of the ANZAC forces.
One of the peculiarities of the country is that it has one of the few rail networks in Oceania outside of Australia and New Zealand. It is a purely cargo rail line, with a very narrow gauge.
It's also known for being the home of professional wrestling great Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Golf fans will also recognize Vijay Singh, a descendant of the Indian community who was one of the world's top players in The '90s and The Noughties.
Do not confuse with Fuji.
Fiji in fiction
- Men Aganst the Sea: Captain William Bligh and his loyal sailors, the ones who didn't take part in The Mutiny on HMAV Bounty, are making a perilous journey over 3600 miles of ocean on an open boat. They stop at Tofoa and are surprised when they are told by the locals of an archipelago to the west, completely unknown to Europeans, called "Feejee." Later they sail through them and, as Bligh says, are "the first white men to set eyes on them!" (This happened in Real Life, as Bligh and his party in 1789 were in fact the first Europeans to see and chart the Fiji Islands.)
- It makes an indirect appearance in Cast Away. The movie was filmed on one of the small uninhabited volcanic isles of the country and is supposed to represent a fictional island south of the Cook Islands.
- Similarly, the 1980 film adaption of The Blue Lagoon was mostly shot on some of the more remote islands of Fiji. Again, the actual name of the island within the story is never specified.
- Though the islands themselves are not shown, much reference is made in early episodes of Red Dwarf to Dave Lister's plan to open a farm on Fiji, have a sheep and a cow, and breed horses. The Felis sapien race who evolved from his cat Frankenstein's kittens have adopted this plan, and go so far as to refer to Cloister's Promised Land of Fuchal. It does however say that after a volcanic eruption, most of Fiji is under 3 feet of water.
- The first Tekken has a level set in Fiji, which was also remade for the second.
- The survival comedy Are You Lost? has one of Homare's flashbacks take place in Fiji as her father is teaching her survival techniques in the wild, specifically the idea to use squid ink as makeshift sunblock.
The Fijian flag
The Fijian national anthem
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Government
- Unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic
- President: Wiliame Katonivere
- Prime Minister: Sitiveni Rabuka
- Speaker of the Parliament: Naiqama Lalabalavu
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Suva
- Population: 926,276
- Area: 18,274 km
- Currency: Fijian dollar ($) (FJD)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: FJ
- Country calling code: 679
- Highest point: Tomanivi (1324 m/4,344 ft) (147th)
- Lowest point: Pacific Ocean (10,911 m/35,797 ft) (-)
