Fiji
Name
| Official name | Republic of Fiji — Matanitu Tugalala o Viti; Fijī Gaṇarājya (फ़िजी गणराज्य) |
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| Former names | The Colony of Fiji (1874–1970); the Dominion of Fiji (1970–1987); the Republic of the Fiji Islands (1997–2011) |
| Demonym | Fijian — for all citizens under the constitution of 2013; iTaukei the Indigenous Fijians |
| Meaning of the name | Viti, the islanders' own name, as the Tongans said it — Fisi — and Cook wrote it in 1774 |
| Motto | "Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui" — Fear God and honor the Queen; on the coat of arms of 1908 |
Quick facts
| Capital | Suva, on Viti Levu — the capital since 1882; about 100,000 in the city, 200,000 in the area |
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| Largest towns | Suva; Nasinu; Lautoka, the sugar city; Nadi, the airport town; Labasa on Vanua Levu; Ba; Levuka, the old capital |
| Official languages | English, Fijian — iTaukei — and Fiji Hindi, equal under the constitution of 2013; Rotuman on Rotuma |
| Currency | Fijian dollar — ISO code FJD, FJ$; about 2.25 to the U.S. dollar |
| Time zone | Fiji Time, UTC+12, all year — among the first countries into each day |
| Calling code | +679 |
| Internet domain | .fj |
| ISO 3166 codes | FJ · FJI · 242 |
| Vehicle registration code | FJI |
| Driving side | Left |
| Electricity | 240 V, 50 Hz; plug type I — the Australian three-pin |
| Independence | 10 October 1970, from the United Kingdom — 96 years to the day after the Deed of Cession of 10 October 1874 |
| National days | 10 October, Fiji Day; the Girmit Day of 14 May, for the first Indian laborers of 1879; the Prophet's birthday, Diwali and Christmas — the three faiths' holidays; Constitution Day, 7 September |
| Constitution | 6 September 2013 — the fourth, decreed by the Bainimarama government after the abrogation of the 1997 constitution in 2009; one national electorate, an equal citizenship |
| Population | 884,887 at the census of 2017; 900,869 projected for 2025 (Bureau of Statistics); about 930,000 by the UN |
| Area | 18,274 km² (7,056 sq mi) of land on 332 islands, about 110 inhabited — Viti Levu 10,388 km², Vanua Levu 5,587 km²; an ocean zone of 1.3 million km² |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A light-blue field — the Pacific — with the Union Jack in the canton and the shield of the coat of arms in the fly: St. George's cross, the lion holding a coconut, sugar cane, a coconut palm, a dove of peace and a bunch of bananas; adopted 10 October 1970 and kept after the republic of 1987 and the change proposed and dropped in 2015–16.Flag of Fiji |
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| Coat of arms | The shield of the flag supported by two Fijian warriors, one with a spear and one with a club, under a canoe — the takia — and over the motto; granted 4 July 1908 |
| National anthem | "Meda Dau Doka" ("God Bless Fiji") — words by Michael Francis Alexander Prescott to the hymn tune of Charles Austin Miles, "Dwelling in Beulah Land"; adopted 1970 |
| National motto | "Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui" |
| National colors | Light blue, white and red |
| National flower | The tagimoucia — Medinilla waterhousei — the red-and-white flower that grows only on the heights of Taveuni; widely cited |
| National bird | None designated — the Fiji parrot and the collared lory of the notes widely cited |
| National sport | Rugby union — the sevens the nation's glory; declared by custom |
| National drink | Kava — yaqona — the root drink of the sevusevu ceremony |
| National dish | Kokoda, raw fish in coconut and lime; the lovo, the earth-oven feast; palusami; widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, arms and anthem are fixed by law; the flower, drink and dishes are traditional and widely cited; no bird designated |
Geography
| Location | The South Pacific — Melanesia, 2,000 km north of New Zealand and 3,000 km east of Australia, at the crossroads of the Pacific; Tonga to the east, Vanuatu to the west, Tuvalu to the north |
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| Land borders | None |
| Coastline | 1,129 km (702 mi) |
| Islands | 332 islands and about 500 islets — Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kadavu, Gau, Koro, Ovalau; the Mamanuca and Yasawa groups of the resorts; the Lau group toward Tonga; Rotuma, 500 km north, a dependency of its own people |
| Highest point | Tomanivi — Mount Victoria — 1,324 m (4,344 ft), on Viti Levu |
| Lowest point | The Pacific Ocean, 0 m |
| Rivers | The Rewa, 145 km, the largest in the Pacific islands, to the delta at Suva; the Sigatoka, the Navua and the Ba on Viti Levu; the Dreketi on Vanua Levu |
| The dateline | The 180th meridian crosses Taveuni — a marker at Waiyevo — though the International Date Line bends east to keep Fiji in one day; among the first places to greet each date |
| Terrain | Volcanic islands, mountainous and forested on the wet southeastern sides, dry grassland on the leeward west; coral reefs and atolls around them; the Sigatoka sand dunes |
| Climate | Tropical maritime — warm all year, the wet season from November to April, cooler and drier from May to October; the west of Viti Levu the dry side |
| Natural hazards | Cyclones — Winston, 20 February 2016, the strongest ever to make landfall in the Southern Hemisphere, 44 dead; Yasa 2020; Harold 2020; earthquakes and tsunamis; floods on the Rewa; the rising sea and the villages moved inland |
| Natural resources | Timber, fish, gold at Vatukoula, copper at Namosi unmined, hydropower, offshore oil unproven; the sugar lands and the water of the Yaqara valley bottled for the world |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 23%; forest about 56% |
| National parks | Bouma National Heritage Park on Taveuni, with the Tavoro falls; Koroyanitu near Lautoka; the Sigatoka Sand Dunes, the first, 1989; the Great Astrolabe Reef of Kadavu; the marine reserves of the Namena and Rainbow reefs |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 1 — Levuka Historical Port Town (2013), the first colonial capital, on Ovalau |
| Administrative divisions | 4 divisions — Central, Eastern, Northern and Western — of 14 provinces, and the dependency of Rotuma |
People
| Population | 884,887 (census of 2017); 900,869 projected for 2025 |
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| Population density | About 49 per km² (128 per sq mi) — three-quarters on Viti Levu |
| Population growth | About 0.5% a year — emigration takes most of the natural increase |
| Median age | About 29 years |
| Life expectancy | About 68 years |
| Fertility rate | About 2.4 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 60% |
| Adult literacy | About 99% |
| Ethnic groups | iTaukei, the Indigenous Fijians, about 57%; Indo-Fijians, the descendants of the indentured laborers of 1879–1916, about 37%, and falling with emigration; Rotumans, Europeans, part-Europeans, Chinese and other Pacific islanders (the last published count, 2007) |
| Languages | Fijian, Bauan the standard, by the iTaukei; Fiji Hindi, the koine of the plantations, by the Indo-Fijians; English the common tongue; Rotuman; the Chinese of the shops |
| Religion | Christian about 64% — Methodist above all, the church of the iTaukei, with Catholics and Assemblies of God; Hindu about 28%; Muslim about 6%; Sikh; the three faiths' festivals all public holidays |
| Human Development Index | 0.729 (2023 data, 2025 report) — high; about 108th of 193 |
| Emigration | Some 50,000 left in 2022–24 alone, most to Australia and New Zealand — the nurses, teachers and tradesmen; a population that has barely grown since 1990 |
| Sport | Rugby — the sevens gold medals of Rio 2016, the country's first Olympic medal, and Tokyo 2020; the Flying Fijians in the fifteens, quarterfinalists in 2007 and 2023; the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby; netball; football |
| Diaspora | Some 300,000 of Fijian origin abroad — in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Britain; the Fijians of the British Army and the Gulf security firms |
Government
| Form of government | Parliamentary republic under the Constitution of 2013 — the president a ceremonial head of state elected by parliament for three years; the prime minister head of government |
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| President | Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu (SODELPA), since 12 November 2024 — the seventh; the Tui Cakau, paramount chief of Cakaudrove; speaker of parliament 2022–2024; succeeded Wiliame Katonivere |
| Prime Minister | Sitiveni Rabuka (People's Alliance), since 24 December 2022 — the twelfth and the seventh; born 13 September 1948 at Nakobo in Cakaudrove; the lieutenant colonel who led the two coups of 1987; prime minister 1992–1999; elected by parliament 28 votes to 27 over Bainimarama |
| The 2022 election | Held 14 December 2022: FijiFirst 42.6% and 26 seats; the People's Alliance 35.8% and 21; the National Federation Party 8.9% and 5; SODELPA 5.1% and 3; turnout 68.3% — a hung parliament resolved when SODELPA's board voted on 20 and 23 December to join the People's Alliance and the NFP, 29 seats to 26, ending Bainimarama's sixteen years |
| The government | The coalition of the People's Alliance, the NFP and SODELPA — three deputy prime ministers, Manoa Kamikamica, Biman Prasad and Bill Gavoka; the opposition the People's Federation Party of Inia Seruiratu, formed from FijiFirst's remains |
| Parliament | A single chamber of 55 members elected for four years by open-list proportional representation in one national constituency, a 5% threshold; the Great Council of Chiefs, abolished in 2012, restored in 2023 |
| The next election | Due between 24 June 2026 and 6 February 2027 — not called by mid-September 2026; the first without FijiFirst, deregistered in 2024 |
| Frank Bainimarama | The commander who seized power on 5 December 2006 and ruled to 2022 — elected in 2014 and 2018 under his own constitution; suspended from parliament in 2023, sentenced to a year in prison in May 2024 for perverting the course of justice, released in 2025; his party FijiFirst deregistered after its collapse in 2024 |
| The coups | Four — 14 May and 25 September 1987, by Rabuka against an Indo-Fijian-backed government, which made Fiji a republic and cost it its Commonwealth seat to 1997; 19 May 2000, George Speight's hostage-taking of the Chaudhry government for 56 days; 5 December 2006, Bainimarama's; the ethnic politics of iTaukei and Indo-Fijians at the root of each |
| Legal system | Common law from England; the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court; iTaukei land, about 90% of the country, held by the mataqali clans under the Native Land Trust |
| Divisions | 4 divisions under commissioners; the 14 provinces with their councils; the Rotuma Council |
| Foreign relations | The hub of the Pacific — the Pacific Islands Forum seated in Suva; balanced between Australia, New Zealand, the United States and China, the Vuvale partnership with Australia; the peacekeepers of Fiji in Lebanon, Sinai and Iraq since 1978; the Vaka Pasifika stand on climate |
| United Nations | Member since 13 October 1970 |
| Memberships | The Commonwealth — suspended 1987–97 and 2009–14; the Pacific Islands Forum; the Melanesian Spearhead Group; the Pacific Community; the WTO; the Non-Aligned Movement |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$6 billion (2025, IMF) — the second-largest economy of the Pacific islands after Papua New Guinea |
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| GDP per capita | About US$6,500 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$16,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 3% in 2025 after the rebound of 2022–23 from the pandemic collapse |
| Economy by sector | Services about 70%, industry about 18%, agriculture about 12% |
| Currency | Fijian dollar (FJD), pegged to a basket |
| Tourism | About 40% of GDP — a record of about a million visitors in 2024 and 2025, half of them Australians, with New Zealanders and Americans; the Mamanucas, the Yasawas, the Coral Coast, Denarau |
| Sugar | The industry of the girmitiyas — the Fiji Sugar Corporation's mills at Lautoka, Rarawai and Labasa; about 1.5 million metric tons of cane, a third of the 1990s, as the leases expire and the farmers leave |
| Fiji Water | Bottled at Yaqara from an aquifer of Viti Levu since 1996 — the largest export by value, some US$200 million a year, to the United States above all |
| Other exports | Gold from Vatukoula; fish — the tuna canneries of Levuka; timber and mahogany; kava, the crop of the 2020s, to the Pacific diaspora and the United States; garments, once |
| Remittances | About US$500 million a year — about 8% of GDP — from the diaspora and the seasonal workers of Australia and New Zealand |
| Public debt | About 80% of GDP after the pandemic borrowing |
| Income classification | Upper-middle income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Nadi International — the hub of the South Pacific, about 2 million passengers, the gateway for nine in ten visitors; Nausori for Suva; Labasa; Savusavu; Taveuni |
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| Airline | Fiji Airways, the national carrier, founded 1951 as Katafaga Estates and Air Pacific, renamed 2013 — to Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Japan, Singapore and the islands; Fiji Link within |
| Main ports | Suva, the deep-water port of the Pacific islands; Lautoka for sugar and cruise ships; Levuka for tuna; Savusavu |
| Railways | No passenger railway — the Fiji Sugar Corporation's 600 km of narrow-gauge cane tramways, the largest network in the Pacific islands, rolling from the fields to the mills in the crushing season |
| Roads | About 3,400 km (2,100 mi), about half paved; Queens Road and Kings Road around Viti Levu; the Hibiscus Highway of Vanua Levu |
| Ferries | The inter-island ferries of Goundar and Patterson from Suva to Savusavu, Taveuni and the Lau; the resort catamarans of the Mamanucas and Yasawas from Denarau |
History in dates
| c. 1500 BC | The Lapita people settle the islands |
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| 1643 | Abel Tasman sights the Fijis |
| 1774 · 1789 | Cook at Vatoa; Bligh rows through after the Bounty mutiny |
| 1830s | The Methodist missionaries; the sandalwood and bêche-de-mer traders |
| 1871 | Cakobau's Kingdom of Fiji; the capital at Levuka |
| 1874 | The Deed of Cession to Britain, 10 October |
| 1875 | The measles epidemic kills a quarter of the islanders |
| 1879 | The first girmitiyas arrive on the Leonidas, 14 May — 60,000 Indians by 1916 |
| 1882 | Suva the capital |
| 1970 | Independence, 10 October — Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara prime minister |
| 1987 | The coups of 14 May and 25 September; the republic, 7 October |
| 1997 | The new constitution; readmitted to the Commonwealth |
| 2000 | George Speight's coup, 19 May |
| 2006 | Frank Bainimarama's coup, 5 December |
| 2013 | The Constitution, 6 September; Levuka inscribed by UNESCO |
| 2014 | The election of 17 September — democracy restored |
| 2016 | Cyclone Winston, 20 February; the rugby sevens gold at Rio, 11 August — the first Olympic medal |
| 2022 | The election of 14 December; Rabuka prime minister, 24 December |
| 2024 | Bainimarama jailed, May; FijiFirst deregistered; Lalabalavu president, 12 November |
| 2026–2027 | The general election due |
Records & firsts
| The first Olympic medal a gold | Rugby sevens, Rio 2016 — and again in Tokyo |
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| The crossroads of the Pacific | Nadi and Suva, the hub of the islands |
| The dateline island | The 180th meridian through Taveuni |
| The soft coral capital of the world | The Rainbow Reef |
| The strongest cyclone to make landfall south of the equator | Winston, 2016 |
| The largest river in the Pacific islands | The Rewa |
| A flower on one mountain | The tagimoucia of Taveuni |
| Four coups in twenty years | 1987, 1987, 2000 and 2006 |
| Fiji Water | An island aquifer in the world's restaurants |
| The girmitiyas | 60,000 indentured Indians, 1879–1916 |
| The first Pacific island in the Commonwealth to be suspended twice | 1987 and 2009 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Fiji?
The Republic of Fiji — Matanitu Tugalala o Viti in Fijian, Fijī Gaṇarājya in Fiji Hindi — a republic since the coups of 1987 ended the monarchy, and the Republic of the Fiji Islands from 1997 to 2011. The name is the Tongan pronunciation of Viti, the Fijians' own name for their islands, which Captain Cook heard in Tonga and wrote down; the largest island is still Viti Levu, "Great Fiji."
What is the capital of Fiji?
Suva, on the southeast coast of Viti Levu, the capital since 1882, when it replaced Levuka — a city of about 100,000 people and 200,000 in its area, the seat of the government, the Pacific Islands Forum, the University of the South Pacific and much of the region's diplomacy. Nadi on the dry west coast has the international airport and the resorts; Lautoka is the sugar city; Labasa the town of Vanua Levu; Levuka on Ovalau the old colonial capital, a World Heritage site.
How big is Fiji, and how many people live there?
About 18,274 km² (7,056 sq mi) of land — a little smaller than New Jersey — across 332 islands and some 500 islets scattered over 1.3 million km² of ocean, about 110 of them inhabited; Viti Levu and Vanua Levu hold 87 percent of the land and most of the people. The census of 2017 counted 884,887 people, and the Bureau of Statistics projected 900,869 for 2025 — the count held down by emigration to Australia and New Zealand, which took tens of thousands in the 2020s.
What are the highest and lowest points of Fiji?
Tomanivi — Mount Victoria — 1,324 m (4,344 ft), in the cloud forest of the northern highlands of Viti Levu, and the Pacific. The islands are volcanic in the main, with coral reefs around them — the Great Astrolabe Reef off Kadavu and the Rainbow Reef between Vanua Levu and Taveuni, the "soft coral capital of the world" — and the 180th meridian, the line where the day begins, crosses Taveuni.
What currency does Fiji use?
The Fijian dollar (ISO code FJD, FJ$), of 100 cents, issued by the Reserve Bank of Fiji since 1969 and pegged to a basket of currencies, at about 2.25 to the U.S. dollar; its notes carry Fijian birds and plants in place of the Queen since 2013. Clocks keep Fiji Time, UTC+12, all year, daylight saving having been dropped in 2022 — among the first places on earth to see each new day. Fiji drives on the left.
Who governs Fiji?
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of the People's Alliance, in office since 24 December 2022 — the former army officer who led the coups of 1987 and was prime minister from 1992 to 1999, returned by a single vote in parliament after the election of December 2022 ended Frank Bainimarama's sixteen years — at the head of a coalition with the National Federation Party and SODELPA. President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, a high chief of Cakaudrove, has been the ceremonial head of state since 12 November 2024. The general election is due between 24 June 2026 and 6 February 2027 and had not been called by mid-September 2026; FijiFirst, the old ruling party, was deregistered in 2024.
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