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suva (viti levu) administrative divisions: 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; central. eastern. northern. rotuma*. western independence: 10 october 1970 (from uk) national holiday: independence day. second monday of october (1970) constitution: promulgated on 25 july 1990; amended on 25 july 1997 to allow nonethnic fijians greater say in government and to make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 july 1998 legal system: based on british system suffrage: 21 years of age; universal executive branch: chief of state: president ratu josefa iloilovatu uluivuda (since 18 july 2000) head of government: prime minister laisenia qarase (since 10 september 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 chief 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 iloilovatu uluivuda elected president by the great council of chiefs; percent of vote - na% legislative branch: bicameral parliament consists of the senate (34 seats; 24 appointed by the president on the advice of the great council of chiefs. nine appointed by the president. 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 seats; members serve five-year terms) elections: house of representatives - last held 25 august through 1 september and 19 september 2001 (next to be held not later than september 2006) election results: house of representatives - percent of vote by party - flp 26.5%. sdl 27.5%. nfp 1.2%. mv 4.2%. nlup 1.3%. ugp .3%. independents 1.4%; seats by party - flp 27. sdl 32. mv 6. nfp 1. nlup 2. ugp 1. independents 2 judicial branch: supreme court (judges are appointed by the president); court of appeal; high court; magistrates' courts political parties and leaders: bai kei viti party or bkv [ratu tevita momoedonu]; conservative alliance party/matanitu vanua or camv [ratu rakuita vakalalabure]; dodonu ni taukei party or dnt [fereti s. dewa]; fiji democratic party or fdp [felipe bole] (a merger of the christian democrat alliance or vlv [poesci waqalevu bune]. fijian association party or fap [adi kuini speed]. fijian political party or svt (primarily fijian) [felipe bole]. and new labor unity party or nlup [tupeni baba]); fiji labor party or flp [mahendra chaudhry]; general voters party or gvp [leader na] (became part of united general party); girmit heritage party or ghp [leader na]; justice and freedom party or aim [leader na]; lio 'on famor rotuma party or lfr [leader na]; national federation party or nfp (primarily indian) [pramond rae]; nationalist vanua takolavo party or nvtlp [saula telawa]; party of national unity or panu [meli bogileka]; party of the truth or pott [leader na]; united fiji party/sogosogo duavata ni lewenivanua or sdl [laisenia qarase]; united general party or ugp [millis mick beddoes] political pressure groups and leaders: na international organization participation: acp. asdb. c. cp. fao. g-77. ibrd. icao. icct. icftu. icrm. ida. ifad. ifc. ifrcs. iho. ilo. imf. imo. interpol. ioc. iso (correspondent). itu. miga. opcw. pca. pif. sparteca. spc. un. unctad. unesco. unido. unmis. upu. wco. wftu. who. wipo. wmo. wtoo. wto diplomatic representation in the us: chief of mission: mr. paula navunisaravi (charge d'affaires ad interim) chancery: 2233 wisconsin avenue nw. suite 240. washington. dc 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320 fax: [1] (202) 337-1996 diplomatic representation from the us: chief of mission: ambassador larry miles dinger embassy: 31 loftus street. suva mailing address: p. o. box 218. suva telephone: [679] 331-4466 fax: [679] 330-0081 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 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 - with 300.000 to 400.000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. fiji's sugar has special access to european union markets. but will be harmed by the eu's decision to cut sugar subsidies. sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity. but is not efficient. long-term problems include low investment. uncertain land ownership rights. and the government's ability to manage its budget. yet short-run economic prospects are good. provided tensions do not again erupt between indigenous fijians and indo-fijians. overseas remittances from fijians working in kuwait and iraq have increased significantly. gdp (purchasing power parity): $5.398 billion (2005 est.) gdp (official exchange rate): $1.992 billion (2005 est.) gdp - real growth rate: 2% (2005 est.) gdp - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6.000 (2005 est.) gdp - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.6% industry: 22.4% services: 61% (2001 est.) labor force: 137.000 (1999) labor force - by occupation: agriculture. including subsistence agriculture 70% (2001 est.) unemployment rate: 7.6% (1999) population below poverty line: 25.5% (1990-91) household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: na highest 10%: na inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (2002 est.) budget: revenues: $427.9 million expenditures: $531.4 million. including capital expenditures of na (2000 est.) agriculture - products: sugarcane. coconuts. cassava (tapioca). rice. sweet potatoes. bananas; cattle. pigs. horses. goats; fish industries: tourism. sugar. clothing. copra. gold. silver. lumber. small cottage industries industrial production growth rate: na electricity - production: 775.7 million kwh (2003) electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 18.5% hydro: 81.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) electricity - consumption: 721.4 million kwh (2003) electricity - exports: 0 kwh (2003) electricity - imports: 0 kwh (2003) oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) oil - consumption: 10.000 bbl/day (2003 est.) oil - exports: na (2001) oil - imports: na (2001) exports: $862 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) exports - partners: us 24%. australia 19%. uk 12.6%. samoa 6.5%. japan 4.1% (2004) imports: $1.235 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.) imports - partners: australia 25.9%. singapore 23.1%. new zealand 21.1% (2004) debt - external: $188.1 million (2001 est.) economic aid - recipient: $40.3 million (1995) currency (code): fijian dollar (fjd) currency code: fjd exchange rates: fijian dollars per us dollar - na (2005). 1.7331 (2004). 1.8958 (2003). 2.1869 (2002). 2.2766 (2001) fiscal year: calendar year telephones - main lines in use: 102.000 (2003) telephones - mobile cellular: 109.900 (2003) 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: country code - 679; access to important cable links between us and canada as well as between nz and australia; 2 satellite earth stations - 2 inmarsat (pacific ocean) radio broadcast stations: am 13. fm 40. shortwave 0 (1998) radios: 541.476 (1999) television broadcast stations: na televisions: 88.110 (1999) internet country code: .fj internet hosts: 493 (2003) internet service providers (isps): 2 (2000) internet users: 55.000 (2003) airports: 28 (2004 est.) airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3.047 m: 1 1.524 to 2.437 m: 1 914 to 1.523 m: 1 (2005 est.) airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25 914 to 1.523 m: 7 under 914 m: 18 (2005 est.) railways: total: 597 km narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge note: belongs to the government-owned fiji sugar corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (may to december) (2003) roadways: total: 3.440 km paved: 1.692 km unpaved: 1.748 km (1999) waterways: 203 km note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004) merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1.000 grt or over) 6.372 grt/7.453 dwt by type: passenger 3. passenger/cargo 2. roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 1 (australia 1) (2005) ports and terminals: lambasa. lautoka. suva military branches: republic of fiji military forces (rfmf): land forces. naval division (2005) military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 215.104 (2005 est.) manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 163.960 (2005 est.) manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 9.266 (2005 est.) military expenditures - dollar figure: $36 million (2004) military expenditures - percent of gdp: 2.2% (fy02) disputes - international: none
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