History UsefulNotes / Fiji

* ''[[Literature/TheBountyTrilogy Men Aganst the Sea]]'': Captain William Bligh and his loyal sailors, the ones who didn't take part in TheMutiny on HMAV ''Bounty'', are making a perilous journey over 3600 miles of ocean on an open boat. They stop at Tofoa and are surprised by the locals to hear of an archipelago, 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 RealLife, 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 ''Film/CastAway''. The movie was filmed on one of the small uninhabited volcanic isles of the country and is supposed to [[CaliforniaDoubling represent]] a fictional island south of the Cook islands.

It's also known for being the home of [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestling great]] [[Wrestling/JimmySnuka 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 TheNineties and Noughties.

It's also known for being the home of [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestling great]] [[Wrestling/JimmySnuka 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 Nineties and Noughties.

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 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3pltiqfW90 a very narrow gauge]].

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).

** Prime Minister: Frank Bainimarama
** Speaker of the Parliament: Epeli Nailatikau

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 [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Elizabeth of Windsor]] 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.

More than 300 islands form the Melanesian country of the '''Republic of Fiji''' ('''Fiji Hindi:''' ''फ़िजी गणराज्य Fijī Gaṇarājya'', '''Fijian:''' ''Matanitu Tugalala o Viti''), one of the most developed economies in the Pacific, with a population of a little over 925,000 as of 2018 estimates.

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.

Fiji got its independence in 1970. Since then, it has passed through a certain number of coups; the last one ([[http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/rumblings-of-a-revolution/2007/10/26/1192941338637.html 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 2009 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).

Fiji got its independence in 1970. Since then, it has passed through a certain number of coups; the last one ([[http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/rumblings-of-a-revolution/2007/10/26/1192941338637.html in 2006]]) eventually triggered a constitutional crisis in 2009 regarding its legality. The country was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations for this reason. Although now a Republic, the Council of High Chiefs (which chooses both the President and the Prime Minister) passed a resolution that they still consider [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Elizabeth of Windsor]] to be the Paramount High Chief, which is (to say the least) a constitutional anomaly.)

** President: Jioji Konrote