In honour of the 52nd anniversary of Fiji's independence
The Republic of Fiji
General information
The official name - the Republic of the Fiji.
The capital is Suva, located on Viti-Levu island, Fiji's main deep water port.
Population (estimated in 2021) - 907.7 thousand people (156th place in the world), of which more than half are indigenous Fijians (48%), the rest are predominantly Indians (44%). There are also Europeans, Chinese and people from other Pacific islands. Fiji is predominantly Christian (53%) and Hindu (34%).
Time is UTC+12 time zone. Time difference with Moscow +8 hours.

National holiday - October 10 - Independence Day (1970).
Currency - Fijian dollar (fj.dollar) Exchange rate as of 03/01/2022: 1 US dollar is equal to 2.13 fj.dollars.
Language - English and Fijian, Hindustani is also used - a dialect of Hindi.
Telephone code - +679

Climate - the climate of the archipelago is tropical marine, hot and humid. Southeast trade winds in winter, that is, from May to October-November, bring sunny and dry weather to the islands. The air temperature on the central and large islands fluctuates during this period from +18 to +26 °С. In the period from December to April, the air temperature rises noticeably and reaches +32 ° C, however, it is accompanied by a rainy season.
Coat of Arms
The Fiji National Coat of Arms consists of the images of two Fijian warriors on either side of a shield and the motto “Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui” below the shield. These words mean “Fear God and Honor the queen” The shield from the coat of arms has the image of a heraldic lion holding a cocoa pod across the top, sugarcane, a coconut palm and bunch of bananas are represented in three of the shields sections. The fourth contains the reproduction of a dove of peace, the main feature of the Cakobau Government’s flag before cession.

Fiji National Flag
Fiji’s flag flew for the first time on Independence day, October 10, 1970. It includes the red, white and blue Union flag of Britain in the top left hand corner and the shield from the Fiji coat of Arms on a light blue background in the fly. The design for the national flag was selected as the result of a competition won jointly by Mr Robi Wilcock, and Mrs Murray MacKenzie.
Anthem
Meda Dau Doka or God Bless Fiji is the national anthem of Fiji. The lyrics were written by Michael Francis Alexander Prescott and adopted upon independence in 1970.
I. History and geography
The Republic of Fiji is located on the islands of the Fiji archipelago (a total of 332 islands, the largest of which are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu) in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of New Zealand, south of Tuvalu, west of Tonga and east of Vanuatu. Fiji ranks the 157th in the world in terms of territory - 18.3 thousand square kilometers.
The city of Suva is located relatively close to the equator (at 18 degrees south latitude), the climate is tropical, typical for the humid tropics. The average annual temperature is 25 degrees, precipitation is about 3 thousand mm per year.
Mikhaylov Pavel. The inhabitants of the island of Ono, between 1821 and 1824, the Historical State Museum.
Mikhaylov Pavel. The indigenous people on island Ono. The boats, 1820. The Russian Museum.
II. Political System
  • William Catonivere
    President of the Republic of Fiji
    2021 - p.t.
  • Sitiveni Rabuka
    Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji
    2022 - p.t.
Fiji's political system is based on the Westminster model of parliamentary, operates within a unitary parliamentary republic and representative democracy. Fiji is a parliamentary republic with a multi-party system, where the Prime Minister is the head of government and executive power, and the President is the head of state with predominantly representative and ceremonial functions.
All executive power belongs to the government, which consists of the president and the cabinet. It is limited only by the constitution and the legislative power of Parliament. Legislative power in Fiji is exercised by the Fiji Parliament.
The judiciary is independent of the legislative and executive branches.
The current constitution of Fiji was adopted in 2013.
III. International Relations
The Republic of Fiji is a member of the UN and a number of its specialized organizations (UNESCO, UNIDO, WHO, FAO, ILO, ICAO, ITU, UPU, WIPO, WMO, IBRD, IFC, IMF, etc.). It is a member of the WTO, ADB, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, the Alliance of Small Island States, the Pacific Islands Forum, the South Pacific Agreement on Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and other international organizations. Fiji's Commonwealth membership was suspended in 2006, renewed in 2014.
IV. Economy, Business and Investments

The Republic of Fiji is one of the most economically developed island nations in Oceania. The main sources of income are the export of sugar, a developed tourism industry also brings significant income, in addition, gold and silver are mined on the islands.
About 50% of the country's able-bodied population is employed in sugar production, 15% - in the public sector. The rest are employed in the service and industrial sectors, mostly in light industry. According to the International Labor Organization, in 2020 the unemployment rate is 4.1% (the 119th in the world).
The main foreign trade partners are Singapore, Australia, the USA, New Zealand, the Great Britain, China, Samoa, Tonga. Fiji offers ample investment opportunities and has political stability that is conducive to economic growth and development. In terms of social progress, Fiji ranks the 81st in the world. Economic stability is the main factor in attracting investment, as evidenced by low inflation and GDP growth.

Fiji is one of the most important trading hub, as the main sea routes of the Pacific Islands pass through. Fiji has a special taxation system for structures that support innovation and investment. Continuous development of infrastructure, growth in the tourism industry, a predominantly young population, employees who speak English, a favorable business environment, low cost of entering the market are key components of successful business development. Main areas: agriculture, audio-visual content industry, energy sector, fishing industry, forestry, medicine, mining, tourism.
Mikhaylov Pavel. The inhabitants of the island of Ono, between 1821 and 1824,
the Historical State Museum.

V. Culture of Fiji
VI. Public Holidays
  • December 26
    Christmas
  • December 27
    Day of the Gift
  • January 1
    New Year
  • September 7
    Constitution Day
  • October 10
    Independence Day
  • Good Friday
  • Easter Saturday
  • Easter Monday
  • Birthday of the Prophet Mohammed
  • "Festival of lights" Diwali
VII. Sports/Rugby
The first rugby match took place in 1884 with the participation of English soldiers and local policemen in the town of Ba on the island of Viti Levu. In 1913, a rugby union was established for European settlers. In the same year, in the month of December, at the suggestion of a rugby union, a New Zealand team arrived on the islands, which played a friendly match against the Fijian British colonists. The New Zealanders confidently won 67:3 (the first attempt was brought by the playing coach PJ Sheehan). In 1914, an internal championship was established, in 1915 the Fiji National Union was transformed into the Fiji Rugby Union. The Fiji Rugby Union is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Union (PIRA) along with Samoa and Tonga.
In 1939, the Fiji Schools Union was formed to govern school rugby. That same year, Fiji went on a tour of New Zealand. The team became famous for being the first team to leave New Zealand without losing a match, with seven wins and a draw in one of their eight matches. The Fijians dazzled the New Zealand public with their unpredictable and fluid style of rugby. After their final match against the New Zealand Māori, the paper wrote that "Fiji is destined to play a big role in world rugby".


Since 1987, they have taken part in the Rugby World Cup 8 times, 2 of which reached the quarter-finals (1987 and 2007). In 2013, the men's rugby sevens team was ranked 3rd in the world rankings. At the 2019 World Cup, the Fiji team was the only team that included 4 Olympic champions: Semi Kunatani, Leone Nakarava, Viliame Mata and Josua Tuisova. Fiji ranked 9th in the 2019 World Rugby World Rankings. The men’s rugby sevens team got the 1st place of the Summer Olympic Games twice: in Brazil, 2016 and in Tokyo, 2021.
VIII. Russian-Fiji Relations
1820 - Discovery of the islands of Mikhaylov and Simonov by F.F. Bellingshausen.
1974 - Establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and the Republic of Fiji.
2012 - Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrov in Fiji.
June 27 – July 01, 2013 - The first high-level visit in the history of Russian-Fiji relations: the Prime Minister of Fiji F. Bainimarama visited Russia, negotiations were held with D.A. Medvedev and S.V. Lavrov, signed intergovernmental. agreements on the abolition of visa requirements and on military-technical cooperation.
2016 - Visit to Russia by Speaker of the Fiji Parliament J. Luveni, within the framework of which interdepartmental memoranda on the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation and cooperation in the field of elections, as well as a protocol of intent through the Ministry of Emergency Situations were signed.
September 20, 2021 - Appointment of the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Fiji in the North Western region of the Russian Federation with residence in Saint Petersburg.

The prime minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama and the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Fiji in the North Western region of the Russian Federation with residence in Saint Petersburg Philipp Khanin
V.V. Petrov «Four weeks in the Southern hemisphere, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand»//Moscow.1981. p.64
M.S. Polinskaya Fijian myths, legends and folktales//Moscow, 1988
A.V. Torkunov Political Systems of Modern States//Encyclopedia in 4 V/V 3. America.
Australia and Oceania//Moscow. 2012. p. 470-478
Patricia Kailola Fiji, just how it is today.Suva. 2019, p. 37
191167, Russia, Saint Petersburg. Sinopskaya embankment, house 30-B, office 2
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Contacts
+7 (812) 425 18 20
+7 (981) 930 09 26
Еmail: hc@fiji.spb.ru
© FIJI.SPB.RU
The office of the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Fiji in Saint Petersburg
The Embassy of the Republic of Fiji in Japan
NOA Building 14F, 2-3-5 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0041, JAPAN.
Tel.: 81 3-3587-2038
info@fijiembassy.jp
https://fijiembassy.jp/
The Embassy of the Republic of Fiji in Japan