![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Main-Island-and-Town-Map-of-Fiji-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The majority of Fiji’s islands formed through volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago. Some geothermal activity still occurs today, on the islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni<\/a>. The geothermal systems on Viti Levu are non-volcanic in origin, with low-temperature (c. 35\u201360 degrees Celsius) surface discharges. Sabeto Hot Springs near Nadi is a good example. Humans have lived in Fiji since the second millennium BC\u2014first Austronesians<\/a> and later Melanesians<\/a>, with some Polynesian<\/a> influences. Europeans visited Fiji from the 17th century onwards, and, after a brief period as an independent kingdom, the British established the Colony of Fiji in 1874. Fiji operated as a Crown colony until 1970, when it gained independence as the Dominion of Fiji. A military government declared a Republic in 1987 following a series of coups d’\u00e9tat. In a coup in 2006, Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power. When the High Court ruled the military leadership unlawful in 2009, President Ratu<\/a> Josefa Iloilo<\/a>, whom the military had retained as the nominal Head of State, formally abrogated the 1997 Constitution and re-appointed Bainimarama as interim Prime Minister. Later in 2009, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau<\/a> succeeded Iloilo as President. After years of delays, a democratic election took place on 17 September 2014. Bainimarama’s FijiFirst party won 59.2% of the vote, and international observers deemed the election credible.<\/p>\n Fiji has one of the most developed economies in the Pacific due to abundant forest, mineral, and fish resources. The currency is the Fijian dollar with the main sources of foreign exchange being the tourist industry, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and bottled water exports.<\/p>\n Located in the central Pacific Ocean, Fiji’s geography has made it both a destination and a crossroads for migrations for many centuries. According to oral tradition, the indigenous Fijians of today are descendants of the chief Lutunasobasoba and those who arrived with him on the Kaunitoni<\/a> canoe. Landing at what is now Vuda, the settlers moved inland to the Nakauvadra mountains.<\/p>\n Pottery art from Fijian towns shows that Fiji was settled by Austronesian<\/a> peoples before or around 3500 to 1000 BC, with Melanesians following around a thousand years later, although the question of Pacific migration still lingers.<\/p>\n It is believed that the Lapita people<\/a> or the ancestors of the Polynesians settled the islands first but not much is known of what became of them after the Melanesians arrived; they may have had some influence on the new culture, and archaeological evidence shows that they would have then moved on to Samoa, Tonga and even Hawai’i<\/a>. Archeological evidence shows signs of settlement on Moturiki Island from 600 BC and possibly as far back as 900 BC. Aspects of Fijian culture are similar to the Melanesian culture of the western Pacific but have a stronger connection to the older Polynesian cultures. Trade between Fiji and neighbouring archipelagos long before European contact is testified by the canoes made from native Fijian trees found in Tonga and Tongan words being part of the language of the Lau group of islands. Pots made in Fiji have been found in Samoa and even the Marquesas Islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the 10th century, the Tu’i Tonga Empire<\/a> was established in Tonga, and Fiji came within its sphere of influence. The Tongan influence brought Polynesian customs and language into Fiji. The empire began to decline in the 13th century.<\/p>\n Dutch explorer Abel Tasman<\/a> was the first known European visitor to Fiji, sighting the northern island of Vanua Levu and the North Taveuni archipelago in 1643 while looking for the Great Southern Continent.<\/p>\n James Cook<\/a>, the British navigator, visited one of the southern Lau islands in 1774. It was not until 1789, however, that the islands were charted and plotted, when William Bligh<\/a>, the castaway captain of HMS Bounty<\/a>, passed Ovalau<\/a> and sailed between the main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu en route to Batavia<\/a>, in what is now Indonesia. Bligh Water<\/a>, the strait between the two main islands, is named after him, and for a time, the Fiji Islands were known as the Bligh Islands.<\/p>\n The first Europeans to maintain substantial contact with the Fijians were sandalwood<\/a> merchants, whalers and “beche-de-mer<\/a>” (sea cucumber) traders. The first whaling vessel known to have visited was the Ann and Hope in 1799 and she was followed by many others in the 19th century. These ships came for drinking water, food and firewood and, later, for men to help man their ships. Some of the Europeans who came to Fiji in this period were accepted by the locals and were allowed to stay as residents.<\/p>\n By the 1820s, Levuka<\/a> was established as the first European-style town in Fiji, on the island of Ovalau. The market for “beche-de-mer” in China was lucrative and British and American merchants set up processing stations on various islands. Local Fijians were utilised to collect, prepare and pack the product which would then be shipped to Asia<\/p>\n Christian missionaries like David Cargill also arrived in the 1830s from recently converted regions such as Tonga and Tahiti<\/a>, and by 1840 the European settlement at Levuka had grown to about 40 houses. The religious conversion of the Fijians was a gradual process which was observed first-hand by Captain Charles Wilkes<\/a> of the United States Exploring Expedition. Wilkes wrote that “all the chiefs seemed to look upon Christianity as a change in which they had much to lose and little to gain”.<\/p>\n Christianised Fijians, in addition to forsaking their spiritual beliefs, were pressured into cutting their hair short, adopting the sulu form of dress from Tonga and fundamentally changing their marriage and funeral traditions. This process of enforced cultural change was called lotu.<\/p>\n The 1840s was a time of conflict where various Fiji clans attempted to assert dominance over each other. Eventually, a warlord by the name of Seru Epenisa Cakobau<\/a> of Bau Island<\/a> was able to become a powerful influence in the region. Cakobau became so dominant that he was able to expel the Europeans from Levuka for five years over a dispute about their giving of weapons to his local enemies. In the early 1850s, Cakobau went one step further and decided to declare war on all Christians. His plans were thwarted after the missionaries in Fiji received support from the already converted Tongans and the presence of a British warship. Cakobau’s influence, however, began to wane and his heavy imposition of taxes on other Fijian chiefs, who saw him at best as first among equals, caused them to defect from him.<\/p>\n Around this time the United States also became interested in asserting their power in the region and they threatened intervention following a number of incidents involving their consul in the Fiji islands. A naval blockade was set up around the island which put further pressure on Cakobau to give up on his warfare against the foreigners and their Christian allies. Finally, on 30 April 1854, Cakobau offered his soro (supplication) and yielded to these forces. He underwent the “lotu” and converted to Christianity. Cakobau was retained as a largely symbolic representative of the Fijian people and was allowed to take the ironic title of “Tui Viti” (“King of Fiji”), but the overarching control now lay with foreign powers.<\/p>\n The rising price of cotton in the wake of the American Civil War (1861\u20131865) saw a flood of hundreds of settlers come to Fiji in the 1860s from Australia and the United States in order to obtain land and grow cotton. Since there was still a lack of functioning government in Fiji, these planters were often able to get the land in violent or fraudulent ways such as exchanging weapons or alcohol with Fijians who may or may not have been the true owners. Although this made for cheap land acquisition, competing land claims between the planters became problematic with no unified government to resolve the disputes. In 1865, the settlers proposed a confederacy of the seven main native kingdoms in Fiji to establish some sort of government. This was initially successful and Cakobau was elected as the first president of the confederacy.<\/p>\n With the demand for land high, the white planters started to push into the hilly interior of Viti Levu, the largest island in the archipelago. This put them into direct confrontation with the Kai Colo, which was a general term to describe the various Fijian clans resident to these inland districts. Cakobau and his allies led forces against the residents of the inland areas and subdued them.<\/p>\n After the collapse of the confederacy foreign powers such as the United States were considering the possibility of annexing Fiji. This situation was not appealing to many settlers, almost all of whom were British subjects from Australia. Britain, however, still refused to annex the country and subsequently a compromise was needed.<\/p>\n In June 1871, George Austin Woods<\/a>, an ex-lieutenant of the Royal Navy, managed to influence Cakobau and organize a group of like-minded settlers and chiefs into forming a governing administration. Cakobau was declared the monarch (Tui Viti) and the Kingdom of Fiji was established. Most Fijian chiefs agreed to participate.<\/p>\n With the rapid increase in white settlers into the country, the desire for land acquisition also intensified. Once again, conflict with the Kai Colo in the interior of Viti Levu ensued. Settlers formed paramilitary units that frequently engaged in conflict with interior native peoples resulting in the deaths of many local people. By late 1873 the interior peoples were soundly defeated.<\/p>\n The blackbirding<\/a> era began in Fiji in 1865 when the first New Hebridean<\/a> and Solomon Island<\/a> laborers were transported there to work on cotton plantations. On 5 July 1865 Ben Pease received the first licence to provide 40 laborers from the New Hebrides to Fiji.<\/p>\n The British and Queensland<\/a> governments tried to regulate this recruiting and transport of labour. Melanesian laborers were to be recruited for a term of three years, paid three pounds per year, issued with basic clothing and given access to the company store for supplies. Most Melanesians were recruited by deceit, usually being enticed aboard ships with gifts, and then locked up. The living and working conditions for them in Fiji were worse than those suffered by the later Indian indentured laborers. In 1875, the chief medical officer in Fiji, Sir William MacGregor<\/a>, listed a mortality rate of 540 out of every 1000 laborers. After the expiry of the three-year contract, the government required captains to transport the laborers back to their villages, but most ship captains dropped them off at the first island they sighted off the Fiji waters. The British sent warships to enforce the law (Pacific Islanders’ Protection Act of 1872) but only a small proportion of the culprits were prosecuted.<\/p>\n Despite achieving military victories over the Kai Colo, the Cakobau government was faced with problems of legitimacy and economic viability. Indigenous Fijians and white settlers refused to pay taxes and the cotton price had collapsed. With these major issues in mind, John Bates Thurston approached the British government, at Cakobau’s request, with another offer to cede the islands. The newly elected Tory British government under Benjamin Disraeli<\/a> encouraged expansion of the empire and was therefore much more sympathetic to annexing Fiji than it had been previously. Two British commissioners were sent to Fiji to investigate the possibility of an annexation.<\/p>\n On 21 March 1874, Cakobau made a final offer, which the British accepted. On 23 September, Sir Hercules Robinson<\/a>, soon to be appointed the British Governor of Fiji, arrived on HMS Dido<\/a> and received Cakobau with a royal 21-gun salute. After some vacillation, Cakobau agreed to renounce his Tui Viti<\/a> title, retaining the title of Vunivalu, or Protector. The formal cession took place on 10 October 1874, when Cakobau, Ma’afu<\/a>, and some of the senior Chiefs of Fiji signed two copies of the Deed of Cession. Thus the Colony of Fiji<\/a> was founded; 96 years of British rule followed. Several major rebellions occurred over the years, each brutally suppressed with British forces.<\/p>\n Governor Gordon decided in 1878 to import indentured laborers from India to work on the sugarcane fields that had taken the place of the cotton plantations. The 463 Indians arrived on 14 May 1879 \u2013 the first of some 61,000 that were to come before the scheme ended in 1916.<\/p>\n The plan involved bringing the Indian workers to Fiji on a five-year contract, after which they could return to India at their own expense; if they chose to renew their contract for a second five-year term, they would be given the option of returning to India at the government’s expense, or remaining in Fiji. The great majority chose to stay. The Queensland Act, which regulated indentured labor in Queensland, was made law in Fiji also.<\/p>\n Between 1879 and 1916, tens of thousands of Indians moved to Fiji to work as indentured laborers, especially on sugarcane plantations.<\/p>\n Fiji was only peripherally involved in World War I<\/a>. By the time of World War II<\/a>, the United Kingdom had reversed its policy of not enlisting natives, and many thousands of Fijians volunteered for the Fiji Infantry Regiment<\/a>, which was under the command of Ratu Sir Edward Cakobau<\/a>, another greatgrandson of Seru Epenisa Cakobau. The regiment was attached to New Zealand and Australian army units during the war.<\/p>\n Because of its central location, Fiji was selected as a training base for the Allies. An airstrip was built at Nadi (later to become an international airport), and gun emplacements studded the coast. Fijians gained a reputation for bravery in the Solomon Islands campaign<\/a>, with one war correspondent describing their ambush tactics as “death with velvet gloves”. Corporal Sefanaia Sukanaivalu<\/a>, of Yucata, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross<\/a>, as a result of his bravery in the Battle of Bougainville<\/a>.<\/p>\n A constitutional conference was held in London in July 1965, to discuss constitutional changes with a view to introducing responsible government. Indo-Fijians, led by A. D. Patel,<\/a> demanded the immediate introduction of full self-government, with a fully elected legislature, to be elected by universal suffrage on a common voters’ roll. These demands were vigorously rejected by the ethnic Fijian delegation, who still feared loss of control over native-owned land and resources should an Indo-Fijian dominated government come to power. The British made it clear, however, that they were determined to bring Fiji to self-government and eventual independence. Realizing that they had no choice, Fiji’s chiefs decided to negotiate for the best deal they could get.<\/p>\n A series of compromises led to the establishment of a cabinet system of government in 1967, with Ratu Kamisese Mara<\/a> as the first Chief Minister. Ongoing negotiations between Mara and Sidiq Koya<\/a>, who had taken over the leadership of the mainly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party<\/a> on Patel’s death in 1969, led to a second constitutional conference in London, in April 1970, at which Fiji’s Legislative Council agreed on a compromise electoral formula and a timetable for independence as a fully sovereign and independent nation within the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n The British granted Fiji independence in 1970. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987<\/a> precipitated by a growing perception that the government was dominated by the Indo-Fijian (Indian) community. The second 1987 coup saw both the Fijian monarchy and the Governor General replaced by a non-executive president and the name of the country changed from Dominion of Fiji to Republic of Fiji and then in 1997 to Republic of the Fiji Islands. The two coups and the accompanying civil unrest contributed to heavy Indo-Fijian emigration; the resulting population loss resulted in economic difficulties and ensured that Melanesians became the majority.<\/p>\n In 1990, the new constitution institutionalised ethnic Fijian domination of the political system. The Group Against Racial Discrimination (GARD)<\/a> was formed to oppose the unilaterally imposed constitution and to restore the 1970 constitution. In 1992 Sitiveni Rabuka<\/a>, the Lieutenant Colonel who had carried out the 1987 coup, became Prime Minister following elections held under the new constitution.<\/p>\n Three years later, Rabuka established the Constitutional Review Commission, which in 1997 wrote a new constitution which was supported by most leaders of the indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian communities. Fiji was re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations<\/a>.<\/p>\n The year 2000 brought along another coup<\/a>, instigated by George Speight<\/a>, which effectively toppled the government of Mahendra Chaudhry<\/a>, who in 1997 had become the country’s first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister following the adoption of the new constitution. Commodore Frank Bainimarama assumed executive power after the resignation, possibly forced, of President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Later in 2000, Fiji was rocked by two mutinies<\/a> when rebel soldiers went on a rampage at Suva’s Queen Elizabeth Barracks. The High Court ordered the reinstatement of the constitution, and in September 2001, to restore democracy, a general election was held which was won by interim Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase’s<\/a> Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua party.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2005, the Qarase government amid much controversy proposed a Reconciliation and Unity Commission<\/a> with power to recommend compensation for victims of the 2000 coup and amnesty for its perpetrators. However, the military, especially the nation’s top military commander, Frank Bainimarama, strongly opposed this bill. Bainimarama agreed with detractors who said that to grant amnesty to supporters of the present government who had played a role in the violent coup was a sham. His attack on the legislation, which continued unremittingly throughout May and into June and July, further strained his already tense relationship with the government.<\/p>\n In late November and early December 2006, Bainimarama was instrumental in the 2006 Fijian<\/a> coup d’\u00e9tat. Bainimarama handed down a list of demands to Qarase after a bill was put forward to parliament, part of which would have offered pardons to participants in the 2000 coup attempt. He gave Qarase an ultimatum date of 4 December to accede to these demands or to resign from his post. Qarase adamantly refused either to concede or resign, and on 5 December the president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo<\/a>, was said to have signed a legal order dissolving the parliament after meeting with Bainimarama.<\/p>\n In April 2009, the Fiji Court of Appeal<\/a> ruled that the 2006 coup had been illegal. This began the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis<\/a>. President Iloilo abrogated the constitution, removed all office holders under the constitution including all judges and the governor of the Central Bank. He then reappointed Bainimarama under his “New Order” as interim Prime Minister and imposed a “Public Emergency Regulation” limiting internal travel and allowing press censorship.<\/p>\n Fiji covers a total area of some 194,000 square kilometres (75,000 sq mi) of which around 10% is land.<\/p>\n Fiji is the hub of the South West Pacific, midway between Vanuatu and Tonga. The archipelago is roughly 498,000 square miles and less than 2 percent is dry land.The 180\u00b0 meridian runs through Taveuni but the International Date Line<\/a> is bent to give uniform time (UTC+12) to all of the Fiji group. Fiji lies approximately 5,100 km southwest of Hawaii and roughly 3,150 km from Sydney<\/a>, Australia.<\/p>\n Fiji consists of 332 islands (of which 106 are inhabited) and 522 smaller islets. The two most important islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, which account for about three-quarters of the total land area of the country. The islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1,324 metres (4,341 ft), and covered with thick tropical forests.<\/p>\n The highest point is Mount Tomanivi<\/a> on Viti Levu. Viti Levu hosts the capital city of Suva, and is home to nearly three-quarters of the population. Other important towns include Nadi (the location of the international airport), and Lautoka, Fiji’s second city with large sugar cane mills and a seaport.<\/p>\n The main towns on Vanua Levu are Labasa<\/a> and Savusavu<\/a>. Other islands and island groups include Taveuni and Kadavu<\/a> (the third and fourth largest islands, respectively), the Mamanuca Group<\/a> (just off Nadi) and Yasawa Group<\/a>, which are popular tourist destinations, the Lomaiviti Group<\/a>, off Suva, and the remote Lau Group<\/a>. Rotuma<\/a>, some 270 nautical miles (500 km; 310 mi) north of the archipelago, has a special administrative status in Fiji. Ceva-i-Ra<\/a>, an uninhabited reef, is located about 250 nautical miles (460 km; 290 mi) southwest of the main archipelago.<\/p>\n Endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, Fiji is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large subsistence sector. Natural resources include timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil, and hydropower. Fiji experienced a period of rapid growth in the 1960s and 1970s but stagnated in the 1980s. The coup of 1987 caused further contraction.<\/p>\n Economic liberalization in the years following the coup created a boom in the garment industry and a steady growth rate despite growing uncertainty regarding land tenure in the sugar industry. The expiration of leases for sugar cane farmers (along with reduced farm and factory efficiency) has led to a decline in sugar production despite subsidies for sugar provided by the EU; Fiji has been the second largest beneficiary of sugar subsidies after Mauritius<\/a>. Fiji’s vital gold mining industry based in Vatukoula<\/a>, which shut down in 2006, was reactivated in 2008.<\/p>\n Urbanization and expansion in the service sector have contributed to recent GDP growth. Sugar exports and a rapidly growing tourist industry \u2013 with tourists numbering 430,800 in 2003 and increasing in the subsequent years \u2013 are the major sources of foreign exchange. Fiji is highly dependent on tourism for revenue. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity. Long-term problems include low investment and uncertain property rights. The political turmoil in Fiji in the 1980s, the 1990s, and 2000 had a severe impact on the economy.<\/p>\n Fiji has a significant amount of tourism with the popular regions being Nadi, the Coral Coast<\/a>, Denarau Island<\/a>, and Mamanuca Islands<\/a>. The biggest sources of international visitors by country are Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Fiji has a significant number of soft coral reefs, and scuba diving is a common tourist activity.<\/p>\n Fiji’s main attractions to tourists are primarily white sandy beaches and aesthetically pleasing islands with all-year-round tropical weather. In general, Fiji is a mid-range priced holiday\/vacation destination with most of the accommodations in this range. It also has a variety of world class five-star resorts and hotels. More budget resorts are being opened in remote areas, which will provide more tourism opportunities. CNN named Fiji’s Laucala Island Resort as one of the fifteen world’s most beautiful island hotels.<\/p>\n The Nadi International Airport<\/a> is located 9 kilometers (5.6 mi) north of central Nadi and is the largest Fijian hub. Nausori International Airpor<\/a>t is about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of downtown Suva and serves mostly domestic traffic with flights from Australia and New Zealand. The main airport in the second largest island of Vanua Levu is Labasa Airport located at Waiqele, southwest of Labasa Town. The largest aircraft handled by Labasa Airport is the ATR 72. Airports Fiji Limited (AFL)<\/a> is responsible for the operation of 15 public airports in the Fiji Islands. These include two international airports: Nadi international Airport, Fiji’s main international gateway, and Nausori Airport, Fiji’s domestic hub, and 13 outer island airports. Fiji’s main airline was previously known as Air Pacific, but is now known as Fiji Airways.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fiji’s larger islands have extensive bus routes that are affordable and consistent in service. There are bus stops, and in rural areas buses are often simply hailed as they approach. Buses are the principal form of public transport and passenger movement between the towns on the main islands. Buses also serve on roll-on-roll-off inter-island ferries. Bus fares and routes are heavily regulated by the Land Transport Authority (LTA)<\/a>. Bus and taxi drivers hold Public Service Licenses (PSVs) issued by the LTA.<\/p>\n Taxis are licensed by the LTA and operate widely all over the country. Apart from urban, town-based taxis, there are others that are licensed to serve rural or semi-rural areas. The elderly and Government welfare recipients are given a 20% discount on their taxi fares.<\/p>\n Inter-island ferries provide services between Fiji’s principal islands and large vessels operate roll-on-roll-off services, transporting vehicles and large amounts of cargo between the main island of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, and other smaller islands.<\/p>\n The national flag of Fiji (Fijian: kuila mai Viti) was adopted on 10 October 1970. The state arms have been slightly modified but the flag has remained the same as during Fiji’s colonial period. It is a defaced sky-blue “Blue Ensign” (the actual Blue Ensign version of the flag is the Government ensign). It has remained unchanged since Fiji was declared a republic in 1987, despite calls from some politicians for changes.<\/p>\n A plan to change the flag, announced by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama<\/a> in 2013, was abandoned in August 2016.<\/p>\n The flag’s bright blue background symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, which plays an important part in the lives of the islanders, both in terms of the fishing industry, and the huge tourist trade. The Union Jack reflects the country’s links with the United Kingdom. The shield is derived from the country’s coat of arms, which was granted by Royal Warrant in 1908. It is a white shield with a red cross and a red chief (upper third of a shield). The images depicted on the shield represent agricultural activities on the islands, and the historical associations with the United Kingdom. At the top of the shield, a British lion holds a cocoa pod between its paws. The first quarter is sugar cane, second quarter is a coconut palm, the third quarter is a dove of peace, and the fourth quarter is a bunch of bananas.<\/p>\n In his New Year’s Day address in 2013, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced that the flag would soon be changed so as “to reflect a sense of national renewal, to reinforce a new Fijian identity and a new confidence in being Fijian on the global stage”. The change in the flag would accompany the adoption of a new Constitution, intended by Fiji’s military leader (who came to power in a coup in December 2006) to establish a “one person, one vote”, non-racial and secular democracy under military oversight. The country, a republic, had removed Queen Elizabeth II from its currency a few weeks earlier.<\/p>\n However, on 17 August 2016, Bainimarama publicly announced that the government was abandoning plans to change the flag. He read out a statement saying: “While I remain convinced personally that we need to replace some of the flag\u2019s colonial symbols with a genuinely indigenous expression of our present and our future, it has been apparent to the Government since February that the flag should not be changed for the foreseeable future”. The flag’s popularity had been boosted by the country winning its first ever Olympic gold medal under its banner in the 2016 Summer Olympics. The decision to retain the current flag was welcomed by opposition parties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The flag’s bright blue background symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, which plays an important part in the lives of the islanders, both in terms of the fishing industry, and the huge tourist trade. The Union Jack reflects the country’s links with the United Kingdom. The shield is derived from the country’s coat of arms, which was granted by Royal Warrant in 1908. It is a white shield with a red cross and a red chief (upper third of a shield). The images depicted on the shield represent agricultural activities on the islands, and the historical associations with the United Kingdom. At the top of the shield, a British lion holds a cocoa pod between its paws. The first quarter is sugar cane, second quarter is a coconut palm, the third quarter is a dove of peace, and the fourth quarter is a bunch of bananas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[59,5,6,7,29,30,44,18,13],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5052"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Fiji-on-the-Globe-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
Early Settlement and Development of Fijian Culture:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Austronesian-Expansion-300x127.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Early Interaction with Europeans:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/First-European-Shipwreck-Survivors-300x198.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Levuka-1842-300x223.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Bure-Kalou-or-Temple-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Cakobau and the Wars Against Christian Infiltration:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Ratu-Seru-Epenisa-Cakobau-194x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Cotton, Confederacies and the Kai Colo:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Kai-Colo-Warrior-186x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Kingdom of Fiji (1871\u20131874):<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Fijian-Mountain-Warrior-1870-186x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Blackbirding and Slavery in Fiji:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Seizure-of-the-Blackbirder-Daphne-300x269.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Colonization:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Ma\u02bbafu-in-1876-220x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Indian Indenture System in Fiji:<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Indentured-Indian-Sugarcane-Workers-in-Fiji-300x230.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Fiji in World War I and II:<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Edward-Cakobau.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Responsible Government:<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Kamisese-Mara-239x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Independence (1970):<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Sitiveni-Rambuka-237x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Laisenia-Qarase.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Frank-Bainimarama-220x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Fiji-in-Oceania-300x245.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Topographic-Map-of-Fiji-300x195.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Fiji-Exports-300x233.jpeg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/An-Island-in-the-Mamanuca-Islands-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Nadi-Airport-Arrivals-300x180.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Yasawa-Flyer-Ferry-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Flag of Fiji:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Flag-of-Fiji-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>