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| Fiji. |
Fiji Facts & Information
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| Location
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Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds
of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
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| Climate
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Tropical marine, only slight seasonal temperature
variation |
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| Terrain
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Mostly mountains of volcanic origin |
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| Population
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893,354 |
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| Nationality
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Fijian |
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| Ethnic groups
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Fijian 51%, Indian 44%, European, other Pacific
Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5% |
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| Religions
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Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic
9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2% |
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| Languages
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English (official), Fijian, Hindustani |
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| Government Type
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Republic |
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| Capital
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Suva (Viti Levu) |
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| Currency
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Fijian dollar (FJD) |
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| Description of Flag
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Light blue with the flag of the UK in the
upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on
the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion
above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring
stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove
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| Fiji Flag
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More Information
 www.cia.gov
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Fiji Culture
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Fiji’s is a land known
for its contrasting cultures that live side by side to one another.
The land is home too Indo-Fijians, Pacific islanders, Chinese,
and European people. The native Fijians are descended from a
Melanesian people who came from the west and began settling
here around 500 B.C. Most Fijians still live in small villages
along the coast, and you will see many traditional thatch bures,
or houses, scattered in the countryside away from the main |
roads. Members of each tribe cultivate and grow food crops in
small "bush gardens" on plots of communally owned native
land assigned to their families. More than 80% of the land in Fiji
is owned by Fijians. When meeting and talking to the Fijian people,
it's difficult to imagine that hardly more than a century ago their
ancestors were among the world's most ferocious cannibals. Today
the only vestiges of this past are the four-pronged wooden cannibal
forks sold in handcraft shops. This is an interesting gift to bring
back home, it can start a great dinner conversation!
Language
Fiji has three official languages. Fijians speak Fijian, the Indians
speak Hindi, and they speak English to each other. Schoolchildren
are taught in their native language until they are capable to be
taught in English. So don’t worry when traveling to Fiji,
you will have little trouble of getting around the country, because
people do understand and speak English. Fijian is similar to the
Polynesian languages spoken in Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Samoa,
and Tonga in that it uses vowel sounds similar to those in Latin,
French, Italian, and Spanish. Fijians still speak a variety of dialects
in their villages, but the official form of Fijian, and the version
taught in the schools systems is based on the language of Bau, the
small island that came to dominate western Fiji during the 19th
century.
More Information:
www.state.gov
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Fiji Shopping
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Shop till you drop in Fiji. There
are many choices of exotic and beautiful things to bring back
home with you from Fiji. Fijians produce a wide variety of handcrafts,
such as carved tanoa (kava) bowls, war clubs, and cannibal forks;
woven baskets and mats; pottery (which has seen a renaissance
of late); and masi (tapa) cloth. The larger shops sell some
very fine face masks and nguzunguzus (noozoo-noozoos), the inlaid
canoe prows carved in the Solomon |
Islands, and some primitive art from Papua New Guinea. Bargaining
is still acceptable, however, when dealing with Indo-Fijian merchants
in many small shops Haggling is not considered to be polite. Some
stores have fixed prices to avoid the hassles of bargaining. Beware
of Sword Sellers, these are Fijian men who carry bags under their
arms and approach you on the street. They ask you your name and where
you are from, and then quickly inscribe your name on a sloppily carved
wooden sword carried in the bag. They expect you to buy the sword,
whether you want it or not. They are especially numerous in Suva,
but they will likely come up to you in Nadi, too. The easiest way
to avoid this scam is not tell any stranger your name and walk away
as soon as you see the bag.
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Fiji Restaurants
We’ve provided listings for some of the top restaurants in
Fiji including Suva, Nadi, Savusavu and more. You’ll find
lavish gourmet restaurants, affordable restaurants serving up good
food, and everything in between. Sample traditional Fiji cuisine
or other specialty cuisines that are sure to make your taste buds
happy.
Read reviews entered by other patrons and be sure to return to
our site to submit your own restaurant review.
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Fiji Travel Guides
Frommer's Fiji
Lonely Planet Fiji
Let's Go Fiji
Fodors Fiji
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