| United Kingdom of Fiji and Samoa Bola ni Matanitu o Viti kei Samoa Timeline: DifferentlyMalo Aufaatasi o Fiti ma Samoa फिजी और समोआ का साम्राज्य | ||||||
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| Motto: Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui |
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| Capital (and largest city) | Suva | |||||
| Official languages | English, Fijian, Samoan, Fiji Hindi | |||||
| Religion | Protestantism | |||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary monarchy | |||||
| - | King | Ratu Epeli Nailatikau | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Frank Bainimarama | ||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Kingdom established | 5 June 1871 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 21,175 km2 8,176 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | Estimate | 1,092,459 (126th) | ||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
Fiji, officially the United Kingdom of Fiji and Samoa, is a sovereign nation in Oceania. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands, 110 of which are permanently inhabited, and more than 500 islets.
Its surface area of 21,175 square kilometers and population of over one million inhabitants make it the 12th-largest and 11th-most populous country in Oceania. In global rankings, however, Fiji ranks only 131st in area and 127th in population against the other 150 countries of the world.
Fiji is a member of the League of Nations and the Oceania Union.
History[]
The nation was united under the rule of Seru Epenisa Cakobau, who declared himself the Ratu, which translates to King. Seru Epenisa Cakobau ruled until his death in 1883, refusing British annexation and securing Fijian independence. During his reign, the United States recognized the nation as independent, along with China.
During the Great War and the Cold War, Fiji remained a neutral nation, although they sided with the British, remaining a close ally. They remained one of the last uncolonized regions in a predominantly British Oceania, until decolonization began following the end of the Cold War. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Hawaii and Fiji formed the Oceania Union, creating a united Oceanic influential sphere. Heavily influenced by the Germanic League and Latin League, the Oceania Union now includes most of the Oceanic nations.
After the Anglo-American War, a British colony of Samoa was ceded to newly-formed Free State of Hawaii. During the creation of the Oceania Union, the Fijian Ratu agreed to form the Union on the condition that Hawaii renounced the islands and handed it over to Fiji. Hawaii accepted, and Samoa became a Fijian Autonomous region.
Dissenters in Samoa, angered by the fact that they were a mere colony of Fiji, revolted in the Samoan Revolt. The revolt reached an abrupt end when the Ratu and his government proposed a United Kingdom, similar to that of Great Britain. Samoa accepted, and the Ratu of Fiji therefore became the O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa, the traditional title of the Samoan monarch or chief. Although of equal status, the nation is still referred to as just "Fiji", and many nations simply call it the "United Kingdom of the Pacific".
Today, although it is still a developing country with a large agriculture sector in its economy, Fiji is one of the most developed countries in the Pacific islands, alongside the Australian countries, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
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