Introduction
The Republic of the Fiji Islands consists of 332 islands – of which 110 are inhabited – in the South Pacific ocean, covering a land area of 18,333 sq km. The two major islands are Viti Levu, on which the capital Suva is situated, and Vanua Levu. Fiji Islands includes the Dependency of Rotuma, an island with a land area of 43 sq km, 465 km to the north. Fiji Islands has an estimated population of 918,675.
Rotuma has its own island council, established under the Rotuma Act of 1978. Its membership includes the chiefs of the seven districts and one elected member for each district. The district officer, the most senior medical officer, and the most senior agricultural officer are ex officio advisory members without voting powers.
The contribution of local government to GDP in 2001 was 6.5 per cent.
Summary
Fiji Islands has an established local government system in urban areas, although service delivery is restricted by its revenue resources, since central government support is rare. There is no constitutional recognition.
The system functions in a multi-ethnic society, with constitutional protection given to indigenous Fijians and the Fijian culture. Government also protects the rights of Indo-Fijians and minority communities.
Fiji is currently suspended from the Commonwealth as of September 2009. As a result, all activities of CLGF Pacific in Fiji have also been suspended.
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