253 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
253 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
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FIJI
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 18,270 km2; land area: 18,270 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 1,129 km
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Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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rectilinear shelf claim added;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature
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variation
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Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin
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Natural resources: timber, fish, gold, copper; offshore oil
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potential
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Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures
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3%; forest and woodland 65%; other 19%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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Environment: subject to hurricanes from November to January;
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includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited
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Note: located 2,500 km north of New Zealand in the South Pacific
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Ocean
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PEOPLE
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Population: 744,006 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
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Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 12 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 67 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Fijian(s); adjective--Fijian
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Ethnic divisions: Indian 49%, Fijian 46%, European, other Pacific
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Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5%
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Religion: Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%),
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Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2%; note--Fijians are mainly Christian,
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Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority (1986)
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Language: English (official); Fijian; Hindustani
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Literacy: 86% (male 90%, female 81%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1985 est.)
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Labor force: 235,000; subsistence agriculture 67%, wage earners
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18%, salary earners 15% (1987)
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Organized labor: about 45,000 employees belong to some 46 trade
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unions, which are organized along lines of work and ethnic origin (1983)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Fiji
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Type: military coup leader Major General Sitiveni Rabuka formally
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declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987
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Capital: Suva
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Administrative divisions: 4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central,
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Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western
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Independence: 10 October 1970 (from UK)
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Constitution: 10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987);
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a new Constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated
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on 25 July 1990
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Legal system: based on British system
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National holiday: Independence Day, 10 October (1970)
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Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: the bicameral Parliament, consisting of an
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upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives,
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was dissolved following the coup of 14 May 1987; the Constitution of 23
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September 1988 provides for a bicameral Parliament
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu GANILAU
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(since 5 December 1987);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (since 5
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December 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Josefata KAMIKAMICA (since NA
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October 1991);
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note--Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA served as prime minister from 10 October
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1970 until the 5-11 April 1987 election; after a second coup led by
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Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA on 25 September 1987, Ratu Sir Kamisese
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MARA was reappointed as prime minister
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Political parties and leaders:
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Fijian Political Party (primarily Fijian), leader NA;
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National Federation (primarily Indian), Siddiq KOYA;
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Western United Front (Fijian), Ratu Osea GAVIDI;
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Fiji Labor Party, Adi Kuini BAVADRA
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Suffrage: none
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Elections:
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House of Representatives--last held 14 May 1987 (next to be
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held July 1992);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(70 total, with ethnic Fijians allocated 37 seats, ethnic
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Indians 27 seats, and independents and other 6 seats) number of seats
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by party NA
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Communists: some
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Member of: ACP, AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
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IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, PCA,
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SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Charge d'Affaires Ratu Finau MARA;
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Chancery at Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007;
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telephone (202) 337-8320; there is a Fijian Consulate in New York;
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US--Ambassador Evelyn I. H. TEEGEN; Embassy at 31 Loftus Street,
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Suva (mailing address is P. O. Box 218, Suva); telephone 679 314-466 or
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314-069
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Flag: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
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quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag;
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the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the
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cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree,
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bananas, and a white dove
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Fiji's economy is primarily agricultural, with a large
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subsistence sector. Sugar exports are a major source of foreign exchange
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and sugar processing accounts for one-third of industrial output.
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Industry, including sugar milling, contributes 13% to GDP. Fiji
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traditionally had earned considerable sums of hard currency from the
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250,000 tourists who visited each year. In 1987, however, after two
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military coups, the economy went into decline. GDP dropped by 7.8% in
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1987 and by another 2.5% in 1988; political uncertainty created a drop in
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tourism, and the worst drought of the century caused sugar production
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to fall sharply. In contrast, sugar and tourism turned in strong
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performances in 1989, and the economy rebounded vigorously. In 1990
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the economy received a setback from cyclone Sina which cut sugar
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output by an estimated 21%.
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GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $1,693; real growth rate 3.5%
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(1991 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.5% (1991 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 5.9 (1991 est.)
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Budget: revenues $314 million; expenditures $355 million,
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including capital expenditures of $81 million (1990 est.)
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Exports: $646 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.);
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commodities--sugar 40%, gold, clothing, copra, processed fish,
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lumber;
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partners--EC 31%, Australia 21%, Japan 8%, US 6%
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Imports: $840 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.);
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commodities--machinery and transport 32%, food 15%, petroleum
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products, consumer goods, chemicals;
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partners--Australia 30%, NZ 17%, Japan 13%, EC 6%, US 6%
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External debt: $428 million (December 1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 8.4% (1991 est.); accounts
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for 13% of GDP
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Electricity: 215,000 kW capacity; 330 million kWh produced, 430
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kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: sugar, tourism, copra, gold, silver, fishing, clothing,
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lumber, small cottage industries
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Agriculture: accounts for 23% of GDP; principal cash crop is
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sugarcane; coconuts, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, and bananas; small
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livestock sector includes cattle, pigs, horses, and goats
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1980-87), $732 million
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Currency: Fijian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Fijian dollar
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(F$) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: Fijian dollars (F$) per US$1--1.4476 (January
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1991), 1.4809 (1990), 1.4833 (1989), 1.4303 (1988), 1.2439 (1987), 1.1329
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(1986), 1.1536 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 644 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, belonging to the
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government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation
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Highways: 3,300 km total (1984)--390 km paved; 1,200 km
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bituminous-surface treatment; 1,290 km gravel, crushed stone, or
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stabilized soil surface; 420 unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and
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200-metric-ton barges
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Ports: Lambasa, Lautoka, Savusavu, Suva
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Merchant marine: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 34,214
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GRT/37,161 DWT; includes 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 container,
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1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker
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Civil air: 1 DC-3 and 1 light aircraft
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Airports: 26 total, 24 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: modern local, interisland, and international
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(wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph,
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and teleprinter facilities; regional radio center; important COMPAC cable
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link between US-Canada and New Zealand-Australia; 53,228 telephones;
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stations--7 AM, 1 FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Fiji Military Force (FMF; Army, Navy, Police)
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 190,120; 104,861 fit for
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military service; 7,879 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $25.8 million, 2.5% of GDP (1988)
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