Located 1,300 mi/2,100 km east of Australia, the Fiji archipelago is made up of thousands of islands. Only 322 islands are considered large enough to support humans, and of these, just 106 are inhabited. Most of the islands are volcanic, although none of Fiji's volcanoes are active. On the two largest islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, sharp peaks and rock outcroppings punctuate lush vegetation.
Fiji's first settlers were Melanesians, who arrived there some 3,500 years ago. When European explorers landed in the islands in the late 1700s, they discovered that outsiders could expect a warm welcome—in a Fijian oven. The islanders' custom of eating intruders and other undesirables didn't cease until 1874, when Fiji became a British colony.
As they did elsewhere in the region, the British imported laborers from India to work the sugar plantations. Today, those workers' descendants make up about 44% of Fiji's population, with indigenous Fijians making up more than half. Although the new constitution makes everyone a "Fiji Islander" from a legal standpoint, mixing between the two groups is minimal, and informal segregation runs deep at almost every level of society.
Although ethnic tensions flared shortly after the nation gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1970, Fiji enjoyed relative peace until 1987, when elections seated a coalition government dominated by ethnic Indians. A coup led by Sitiveni Rabuka, a native Fijian military leader, overthrew the civilian government. A new constitution was written giving preferential treatment to ethnic Fijians. Pressure from the international community led to changes in the constitution in 1997, which resulted in the election of another Indian-controlled government in 1999.
In May 2000, a radical group of ethnic Fijian nationalists launched an armed takeover of the parliament. After a two-month standoff, government forces thwarted the takeover, revoked the 1997 constitution and appointed an interim civilian government. Under pressure from the international community, the interim administration drew up a new constitution and held democratic elections in 2001. The predominantly indigenous Fijian SDL Party, or Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua, won the elections and later survived a Supreme Court challenge to its legality. Key leaders of the 2000 uprising, including Fiji's incumbent vice president, were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms.
Fiji's foremost attractions are fascinating cultures, fire walking, world-class scuba diving and snorkeling, hiking, surfing, ocean kayaking, yachting, windsurfing, white-water rafting, good beaches, cruises, delicious food and small, out-of-the-way resorts.
Those looking for beautiful water and slow-paced island life will enjoy Fiji. However, anyone who goes there should be aware that other Pacific islands have more lush, tropical scenery and better beaches (many of Vitu Levu's beaches turn into rather ugly tidal flats at low tide). For the white beaches and blue lagoons of the brochures, one must travel to the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups.
Try to attend a fire-walking ceremony. There are two types. Fijian fire walking—actually walking over hot stones—is performed at hotels for tourists. Though totally commercial, it's still fascinating. Indian fire walking over glowing embers is done only for religious purposes and is very difficult to find out about, much less to see.
An interesting dance widely performed for tourists is the meke, where Fijian legends are acted out by costumed dancers.
Wars in Fiji traditionally have been unkind to the vanquished. Torture and cannibalism were common less than two centuries ago, which explains why an outnumbered band of Fijian warriors on the island of Wakaya chose to leap over a cliff rather than be captured by a neighboring army. The cliff today is known as Chieftain's Leap.
Among divers, Fiji is known as the "Soft Coral Capital of the World" for the abundance of colorful soft corals in its waters.
Consider taking a cruise on a liveaboard if you have a strong interest in diving. Liveaboards are just what the name suggests: Divers live on board the boat as it cruises from dive site to dive site. Liveaboards allow divers to make more dives in more locations than if they were staying at land-based resorts. They are particularly well-suited for Fiji, where the diving is varied and spread across a wide area. In fact, some sites are accessible only from a liveaboard. Although some liveaboards are quite luxurious, bear in mind that they offer almost no entertainment options for nondivers.
The Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, located along Savusavu Bay on the island of Vanua Levu, is partly owned by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau, the famed underwater explorer. (Prior to his death, Jacques took great pains to keep his distance from his son's resort project.)
At certain times of the month, Fijians hold fish drives, where islanders yell, bang on tin cans and do anything possible to drive fish into vine nets.
On Koro Island, residents are said to have the ability to call turtles out of the sea.
In 1789, Captain William Bligh and 18 loyal crew members passed between Fiji's two largest islands in an open boat after being cast adrift in the famous mutiny on the Bounty. As they approached the Yasawa Group, Fijian war canoes took chase, and only some serious rowing and a fortuitous gap in the reef saved the Englishmen from cannibal ovens. Today the sea between Viti Levu and the Yasawas is known as Bligh Water.
Only 10% of Fiji's land is privately owned "freehold" land. The government owns another 7%, but the remaining 83% is inalienable Fijian communal land, which can be leased but not sold. Control of the land has allowed indigenous Fijians to preserve their traditional culture to the present day. Outside the towns, most Fijians still live in small villages governed by hereditary chiefs, supporting themselves through agriculture and fishing. Isolated houses in rural areas are almost always occupied by Fiji Indians who grow sugarcane on leased Fijian land.
U.S. citizens have purchased so much freehold land on Vanua Levu that Fiji Islanders facetiously refer to Savusavu as Little America. In 2004, actor Mel Gibson bought Mago Island in eastern Fiji for US$14.8 million.
