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Sunday 1 February 2015

Fiji

Fiji is an archipelago of more than 332 islands, of which 110 are permanently inhabited. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87% of the population of almost 860,000.

The island country of Fiji covers a total area of some 75,000 square miles of which around 10% is land.
Topography of Fiji

Fiji has been inhabited since the second millennium BC, and was settled first by Austronesians and later by Melanesians, with some Polynesian influences.

The Tongans called Viti Levu 'Fisi' and it is from this that the name "Fiji" is derived.

The British established the Colony of Fiji in 1874. Fiji was a Crown colony until October 10, 1970, when it gained independence as a Commonwealth realm.

The coat of arms of Fiji was retained after independence from the United Kingdom in 1970, partly because of its links to the last Fijian king, who ceded his country to Britain.





In 2005, the Republic of Fiji lost its declaration of independence. After five long years of searching, Fiji's government finally turned to Britain, who provided them with a photocopy.

Commodore Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, staged a military takeover on December 5, 2006. Three years later, Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations as Cdre. Bainimarama failed to hold elections by 2010, which the Commonwealth of Nations had demanded after the coup. He was eventually sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Fiji by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau on September 22, 2014, after his Fiji First Party won the general elections.

Prime Minister of Fiji, Rear Admiral J. V. Bainimarama  By Foreign and Commonwealth Office 

Fiji is one of the few countries where rugby union is the main sport. There are about 80,000 registered players just under ten per cent of the total population.

Fiji's won its first ever Olympic medal in the Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics at Rio, winning gold by comprehensively defeating Great Britain 43-7 in the final.

After leading Fiji's 2016 Rugby sevens team to the country's first Olympic medal, their coach was given three acres of land and a chiefly rank.

53 percent of the people who live in Fiji don't have access to clean, safe water yet Fiji water is the nation's largest export.

Fiji is not the only four-letter country with a four-letter capital (Suva). Peru (capital, Lima) and Togo (Lomé) also share that distinction.

Source Wikipedia

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