Fiji Geography and Climate

In the southern part of the Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and Australia, lies Fiji. This is an archipelago with over 330 islands, a very large part of which are uninhabited. The area offers beautiful white beaches, coral reefs as well as rainforest. Most of Fiji’s inhabitants live on the largest island called Viti Levu, where the country’s capital, Suva, is located. Fiji was a British colony for almost 100 years, but in 1970 the country gained its independence. During his time as a colony, Britain hired workers from Indiato work in the sugar cane fields. Because of this, today’s population largely consists of so-called Indo-Fijians who have their roots from colonial-era Indian workers. Among Indo-Fijians, most are Hindus, while the indigenous population is largely Christian. Conflicts have arisen between these two groups and this has also led to coups.

Geography and climate

Of Fiji’s approximately 333 islands, 110 are inhabited. In addition, there are cobs and islets, and the islands are surrounded by coral reefs. Viti Levu is the largest island and another larger island is Vanua Levu. The islands are covered by mountains and rainforest and can have peaks of up to 1300 meters above sea level. The country’s airport is located in the city of Nadi.

According to bridgat, the climate is tropical marine and it is warm all year round without extreme temperatures. The warmer season is between November and April while the cooler season is between May and October. When it is cooler, the temperatures are around 22 ° C. During the hot season, it often rains, especially inland. When it comes to storms, cyclones are usually affected about once a year.

A little history

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Fiji was explored by Holland and Great Britain. In 1874, Fiji was declared part of Britain. During the 1880s, sugar cane was cultivated and this led to more than 60,000 workers being brought in from India for 40 years. This type of labor immigration came to a halt in the early 1920s, but it has led to an ongoing conflict between those of Indian descent and the native Fijians. In 1987, General Sitiveni Rabuka was behind a coup aimed at preventing a mostly Indian party from taking power in the country. This military coup led to the departure of several thousand Fijians with Indian credentials due to ethnic discrimination by the government.

Economy

Fiji has plenty of natural resources such as forests, minerals and fish. The most important natural resources are fish, timber, copper, gold, hydropower and oil reserves that are judged to be on the seabed and have not yet been exploited. The political turmoil in Fiji in the 1980s and 1990s had a negative impact on the economy and the tourism industry was damaged by the coups and the political unrest in the country. However, the tourism sector has recovered and is now an important part of the country’s economy.

Fiji Geography