Abstract
HISTORY. The first European discovery of the Fiji Islands was by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1643, and they were recorded in detail by Capt. Bligh after the mutiny of the Bounty (1789). In the 19th century the search for sandalwood, in which enormous profits were made, brought many ships. The influence of the deserters, shipwrecked sailors and missionaries who settled on the islands disrupted the pattern of life of the indigenous Fijians and gave rise to inter-tribal wars until Fiji was ceded to Britain on 10 Oct. 1874. Fiji became an independent state within the Commonwealth on 10 Oct. 1970. Following the electoral defeat of the Fijian-dominated National Alliance Party by an Indian-supported coalition in April 1987, Brig. Sitiveni Rabuka seized power after two coups, and declared Fiji a republic in Oct.; membership of the Commonwealth lapsed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Further Reading
Bureau of Statistics. Current Economic Statistics. Quarterly
Reserve Bank of Fiji. Quarterly Review
Bain, K., Fiji at the Crossroads, London, 1989
Gorman, G. E. and Mills, J. J., Fiji [Bibliography], Oxford and Santa Barbara, 1994
Howard, M. C, Fiji: Race and Politics in an Island State. Univ. of British Columbia Press, 1991
Lal, B. J., Broken Waves: a History of the Fiji Islands in the Twentieth Century. Univ. of Hawaii Press, 1992
Lal, V., Fiji: Coups in Paradise. London, 1991
Ravuvu, A., The Façade of Democracy: Fijian Struggles for Political Control. Suva, 1991
Scarr, D., Fiji: a Short History. Sydney, 1984
Sutherland, W., Beyond the Politics of Race: an Alternative History of Fiji to 1992. Australian National Univ. Press, 1992
Wright, R., On Fiji Islands. London, 1987
National statistical office: Bureau of Statistics, POB 2221, Government Buildings, Suva.
Editor information
Copyright information
© 1995 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hunter, B. (1995). Fiji. In: Hunter, B. (eds) The Statesman’s Year-Book. The Statesman’s Yearbook. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230271241_66
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230271241_66
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-39297-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-27124-1
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)