Republic of Fiji
Melanesia
Coral · Warm · Pacific
Fiji (officially Republic of Fiji) is a country located in Melanesia. Its capital city is Suva, with other major cities including Lautoka and Nadi. With a population of approximately 930,000, the main languages spoken are English, Fijian, Hindi. The country covers an area of 18,272 km². The official currency is the Fijian dollar ($). Traffic drives on the left side.
Fiji is the dominant global power in Rugby Sevens — the national team won gold at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, and the sport is so embedded that it is played on every island, often with bare feet on grass.
Suva serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Fiji, positioned in Melanesia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Lautoka, Nadi — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Suva on the eastern side of Viti Levu receives so much rainfall from the trade winds that the colonial-era British built their administrative centre in what is now the Pacific's wettest significant city — a lush tropical capital where the Fiji Museum houses the 200-year-old cannibal fork (i boto) used to eat Reverend Thomas Baker in 1867, whose descendant tribe publicly apologised in 2003.
With a population of approximately 930,000, Fiji is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are English, Fijian, Hindi, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Fiji is reached via the dialling code +679. Fijians navigate the demographic and political tension between indigenous iTaukei Fijians and Indo-Fijians (descendants of indentured labourers brought from India by the British between 1879 and 1916) — two communities with separate land rights, religious practices, and political allegiances whose relationship has produced four coups since 1987 and an ongoing constitutional conversation about equal citizenship.
Fiji spans 18,272 km², in the Melanesia subregion of Oceania. Geographically centred around 17.7°S, 178.1°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Oceania convention.
The official currency is the Fijian dollar ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Fiji's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+12:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Rugby Sevens holds a special place in the heart of Fiji's national identity. Rugby Sevens is Fiji's greatest sporting gift to the world — a format of rugby that allows Fiji to compete as equals with much larger nations due to the natural athletic talent and traditional village-level rugby culture, with the Fijian national sevens team winning consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2016 and 2020 in a nation of under a million people.
The highest point in Fiji is Tomanivi, rising to 1,324 metres above sea level. Taveuni Island, the 'Garden Island of Fiji', is bisected by the 180th meridian (the International Date Line) at a point marked by a sign where visitors can jump between yesterday and today — its dense rainforest sheltering the endemic tagimaucia flower (red and white) that blooms only above 600 metres, visible in season in the forest around Lake Tagimaucia.