斐济(Fiji)
正式名称斐济共和国（Republic of Fiji）。
斐济文为Viti
南太平洋的国家和群岛。位於万那杜以东，萨摩亚西南方。面积约18,274平方公里。人口约827,000（2001）。首都︰苏瓦。斐济人大多数为美拉尼西亚人和玻里尼西亚人的混血种族为主。语言︰英语和斐济语（均为官方语）。宗教︰卫理公会和印度教（亚洲人中的少数印度人）。货币︰斐济元（F$）。位於纽西兰以北2,100公里，由大约540个小岛和300个岛屿组成，其中约100个岛屿有人居住。主要岛屿是维提莱武岛和瓦努阿莱武岛。自1881年还包括罗图马岛，该岛位於苏瓦西北640公里处。两个最大的岛屿原来都是多山或火山地形，由人口稠密的沿海地区上升至中部山区。较小的岛多由珊瑚礁组成。主要河流所形成的海岸三角洲，含有斐济大部分肥沃的可耕地。属热带海洋性气候。市场经济大部分依赖农业（特别是糖制品）、旅游业和轻工业；也产金、银和石灰岩等矿产。政府形式是共和国，两院制。国家元首是总统，政府首脑为总理。
考古发掘显示，西元前2千纪後期，斐济即有人定居。约西元前1300年他们已会制陶。16世纪荷兰人是最早来此的欧洲人；1774年英国的科克船长也到过这里，并发现了一个美拉尼西亚人和玻里尼西亚人混合的复杂社会体。1835年始有商人和传教士到达此地。1857年英国派遣领事。1874年斐济成为英国直辖殖民地。1970年斐济终获独立，加入国协。1987年经过军事政变後，宣布成立斐济为共和国。1992年恢复文人政府。1997年新宪法获得批准。
English version：
Fiji
FijianVitiNation and archipelago, South Pacific Ocean. It lies east of Vanuatu and southwest of Samoa. Area: 7,055 sq mi (18,272 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 778,000. Capital: Suva. The majority of Fijians are of mixed Melanesian-Polynesian stock. Languages: English (official), Fijian. Religions: Methodism, Hinduism (among the large Asian Indian minority). Currency: Fiji dollar. It lies 1,300 mi (2,100 km) north of New Zealand, and comprises some 540 islets and 300 islands, of which about 100 are inhabited. The main islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. It also includes, since 1881, Rotuma, an island located about 400 mi (640 km) to the northwest. The two large Fiji islands are mountainous and volcanic in origin, rising abruptly from densely populated coasts to forested central mountains. The smaller islands are formed mostly of coral reefs. The coastal deltas of the principal rivers contain most of Fiji's fertile arable land. It has a tropical oceanic climate. It has a market economy based largely on agriculture (particularly sugar production), tourism, and light industries; significant quantities of gold, silver, and limestone are mined. It is a republic with two legislative houses; its chief of state is the president, while the head of government is the prime minister. Archaeological evidence shows that the islands were occupied in the late 2nd millennium BC and had developed pottery by c. 1300 BC. The first European sighting was by the Dutch in the 16th century; in 1774 the islands were visited by Capt. James Cook, who found a mixed Melanesian-Polynesian population with a complex society. Traders and the first missionaries arrived in 1835. In 1857 a British consul was appointed, and in 1874 Fiji was proclaimed a crown colony. It became independent as a member of the Commonwealth in 1970, and was declared a republic in 1987 following a military coup. Elections in 1992 restored civilian rule. A new constitution was approved in 1997.
