t point : Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m

Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential

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, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are
inhabited

@Fiji:People

Population: 792,441 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 140,685; female 135,044)
15-64 years: 62% (male 246,128; female 246,001)
65 years and over : 3% (male 11,620; female 12,963) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.28% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 23.12 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

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: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66 years
male: 63.66 years
female : 68.46 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.78 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Fijian(s)
adjective: Fijian

Ethnic groups: Fijian 49%, Indian 46%, European, other Pacific
Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5%

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)

Languages: English (official), Fijian, Hindustani

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population : 91.6%
male: 93.8%
female: 89.3% (1995 est.)

@Fiji:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Fiji
conventional short form : Fiji

Data code: FJ

Government type: republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared
Fiji a republic on 6 October 19