Fiji

Fiji Jamie =__Part A__=

1. Fiji, known as "The Crossroads of the Pacific", it is located in the southwest Pacific, south of the Equator, and consists of 330 islands, only 100 of which are inhabited, the rest being left as natural reserves. There are no neighboring countries because it is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Topography of Fiji is similar to most island in the South Pacific. Fiji lies southwest between Hawaii and is northeast of Sydney, Australia, in the Pacific Ocean. This islands as shown on the map are mostly volcanic in origin with a substantial number of the smaller islands being formed build up of coral deposits. Fiji has some of the largest mountains in the island countries in the South Pacific with the highest peak being Mount Tomanivi in the center of Viti Levu at 1324 meters. The larger islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Kadavu have a number of mountains ranges with fertile files and rolling hills. The rest of the land mass in Fiji is comprised of small volcanic and coral islands. 2. The government is a Republic. About 22 ministries conduct the affairs of the government, and the Minister who heads a department is responsible to Parliament for its activities. These ministries are staffed by a career public service, whose members do not relinquish their jobs on a change of government. The Fijian military regime is currently headed by the President of Fiji, Epeli Nailatikau. 3. Prior to the introduction of Christianity and other religions, Fijian religion could be classified in modern terms as forms of animism or shamanism, in Fiji a tradition utilizing various systems of divination which strongly affected every aspect of life. Fiji today is generally considered a Christian nation, as it is the dominant religion. Fiji has 14 provinces: Ba, Bua, Cakaudrove, Kadavu, Lau, Lomaiviti, Macuata, Nadroga-Navosa, Naitasiri, Namosi, Ra, Rewa, Serua, and Tailevu. 4. Picture above. 5. Fiji has three official languages under the 1997 constitution; English, Fijian and Hindustani. Fijian is a spoken either as a first or second language by indigenous Fijians who make up around 54% of the population. Fijians of Indian descent make up a further 37%, mainly speaking Hindustani (Urdu and Hindi), whose local variant is known as Fiji Hindi. English, a remnant of British colonial rule over the islands, was the sole official language until 1997 and is widely used in government, business, and education. 6. The population of Fiji in 2010 was 860,623 people. 7. Fiji is one of the more developed of the Pacific island economies, although it remains a developing country with a large subsistence agriculture sector.

1. Fiji climate can be characterized as a tropical marine atmosphere. The period from May to November is the coolest periods in the Fiji climate. During this time, the south-east trade winds blows across the land. The Fiji climate tends to be hotter during the months of December to April. During this time, the mercury rises to about 320 Celsius. The humidity during the summers is comparatively on the higher side. The climate of Fiji is prone to experience tropical cyclonic storms during the months of November to January. These storms are basically south-Pacific version of hurricanes. At the capital city of Suva, the average temperature during the summers is around 29 degree Celsius. And Suva records an average winter temperature of 20 degree Celsius. 2. GDP (Constant Prices, National Currency) for Fiji in year 2010 is FJ 4.253 Billion. Real GDP is expressed in billions of national currency units; the base year is country-specific. 3. Birds found only in Fiji include the Collared Lory, the Red-throated Lorikeet, the Masked Shining Parrot, the Crimson Shining Parrot, the Orange Dove, the Golden Dove, the Fiji Goshawk, the Fiji Petrel, the Silktail, the Ogea Monarch, the Blue-crested Flycatcher, the Orange-breasted Honeyeat, the Rotuma Myzomela the Fiji White-eye, the Long-legged Thicketbird, and the Pink-billed Parrotfinch. Two amphibians are known solely from Fiji: the Fijian Tree Frog Platymantis vitiensis and the Fijian Ground Frog Platymantis vitianus. The Giant Fijian Longhorn Beetle Xixuthurus heros is the world's second largest beetle. Other endemic insects include the Fiji Swallowtail Papilio schmeltzi, the Tailed Emperor Polyura caphontis, Xois sesara, an eggfly butterfly Hypolimnas inopinata, a hawk moth Psilogramma jordana, a uraniid moth Urapteroides anerces, a damselfly Indolestes vitiensis, a jewel beetle Paracupta sulcata , a longhorned beetle Distenia dillonorum, a weevil Bulbogaster ctenostomides, the cicadas Fijipsalta tympanistria and Raiateana knowlesi , a genus of ants Poecilomyrma , and the Fijian Stick Insect Cotylosoma dipneusticum. Other endemic invertebrates include a freshwater snail Fijidoma maculata, the landsnails Placostylus malleatus and Orpiella fragillima, a jumping spider Lagnus monteithorum, a freshwater sea slug Acochlidium fijiense, and a cowrie Austrasiatica deforgesi. The Coral Triangle is an area of 5.5x106 km2 of ocean territory of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The highest species richness resides in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of Indonesian Papua, which hosts 574 species, with individual reefs having up to 280 species ha-1, over four times the total zooxanthellate scleractinian species richness of the entire Atlantic Ocean. Within the Bird’s Head, The Raja Ampat Islands has the highest diversity of 553 species. 4. Not doing this one. 5. The coral reefs are a hot spot for biodiversity because of off the different fish and plant species. 6. Indicator Species- No known Keystone Species- Sharks Native Species- #3 Nonnative Species- Mongoose Specialized Species-Trap-jaw stingrays 7. Fiji is a tropical, sub-tropical, and oceanic biome. 8. A. Fijian ants B. Sharks and fish C. Strongyloides stercoralis is a nematode that can parasitize humans. D. Fruitbats eat nectar, then visit plants, pollinating them. E. There are certain species of Goby, like Astropyga radiate, that live amongst the spines of toxic sea-urchins. They gain protection from their host while their host is neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by the relationship. 9. Brachylophus vitiensis- Fiji Crested Iguana- It is endangered because habitat destructive from feral goats and wildfires. Notopteris macdonaldi-Fiji Blossom Bat- It is endangered because deforestation due to tourism. 10. The Barred-wing Rail Nesoclopeus poecilopterus, globally extinct, and the Wandering Whistling-duck Dendrocygnaarcuatawhose population was extirpated in the late nineteenth century.
 * __Part B__**

__**Part C **__ 1. 2. Fijis doubling time is 38 years. It is a little bit quicker than the average in the world being 35 years. 3. birth rate: 24 per 1000
 * Country || 2002 || 2003 || 2004 || 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 || 2010 ||
 * Fiji || 1.41 || 1.41 || 1.41 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 1.39 || 1.39 || 1.38 || .83 ||

death rate: 6 per 1000

Net migration rate...............................-3.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Yes, the numbers are almost equal to a 2% growth rate. ((24/1000+6/1000)-(3.04/1000)) 4. Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.9% (male 130,409/female 124,870) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 297,071/female 284,643) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 21,187/female 24,945) (2011 est.) Most people are younger, meaning this country is still developing level. The replacement level is very high. 5. Fiji is in a stage 3 (industrial) transition. 6. The Fiji White Ribbon Campaign was established last year to do something about these issues. Fiji’s maternal mortality rate has been reduced by around 30 percent, from 41 in 1990 to 32 per 100,000 live births in 2008. Fiji needs to reduce this by another 70 percent to achieve MDG 5 within 2015.

__**Part D **__ B) Bryde's Whale C) Pantropical Spotted Dolphin D) Long-tailed Fruit Bat E) Samoa Flying-fox 5. These species are endangered mainly because of human-impact. Humans are polluting the ocean waters, and destroying these habitats. Over-fishing is causing the whales and dolphins to have little to no food, leaving them to die.
 * 1) The coral reef in Fiji is a terrestrial biome.
 * 2) Yes, the coral reef is located in the pacific ocean.
 * 3) Truly devastating threats to coral reef health come when the impacts of natural events are compounded by persistent human-induced stressors that include over-fishing and destructive fishing practices, coastal development, sewage and other pollution, and rising global temperatures.
 * 4) A) Humpback Whale

6. A) Acridotheres fuscus is native to India and south-east Asia and is now established in many Pacific islands. Acridotherea can be translated as “grasshopper hunter” - presumably an indication of its major food source in some parts of its native region. It is perceived as a problem to agricultural sectors dependant on crops. Both rural villages and urban areas are at risk of invasion. They feed off rubbish and food scraps and nest in any available spaces in houses and buildings.

B) The common myna (Acridotheres tristis), is a highly commensal Passerine that lives in close association with humans. It competes with small mammals and bird for nesting hollows and on some islands, it preys on other birds eggs and chicks. It presents a threat to indigenous biota, particularly parrots and other birdlife, in Australia and elsewhere. 7. Customary Law prohibits killing or hurting of some particular plants, birds and insects in certain localized areas only.

__**Part E**__ 6. Koroyanitu National Heritage Park  Sigatoka Sand Dunes National