Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government. The divisions are basically agglomerations of provinces and have few administrative functions of their own, but serve to foster cooperation among the member provinces for providing services. Each province has a provincial council which may make bylaws and impose rates (local taxes), subject to the approval of the Fijian Affairs Board, a government department. The board must also approve the appointment of the Roko Tui, or executive head of the provincial council, who is usually a high chief, although in recent years, commoners have sometimes been chosen (e.g., Sitiveni Rabuka in Cakaudrove Province). The Republic of the Fiji Islands occupies an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. ... Ratu is a title inherited by Fijians of chiefly rank. ... Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, (born September 13, 1948) is a former Prime Minister of Fiji. ...

The provinces have direct input into national affairs through the Great Council of Chiefs and the Senate. The Great Council of Chiefs is a traditional body which advises the government on indigenous affairs and also functions as an electoral college to elect the President and Vice-President; 42 of the 55 members of the Great Council are chosen by the provincial councils, 3 from each province. In addition, 14 of the 32 members of the Senate, the upper house of the Fijian Parliament, are chosen by the provincial councils (one Senator each) and confirmed by the Great Council of Chiefs. The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. ... The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. ... An electoral college is a set of electors who are empowered as a deliberative body to elect someone to a particular office. ... Fiji became a republic in 1987, when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom formally abdicated as Queen of Fiji, following two military coups led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. ... The Fijian vice-presidency is a mostly ceremonial office. ... Fijis Parliament is bicameral. ...

Additionally, the island of Rotuma, north of the main archipelago, has the status of a dependency. The government includes it in the Eastern Division for statistical purposes (such as the census), but administratively it enjoys a degree of internal autonomy and has its own council which is empowered to legislate on most local matters. Like a province, Rotuma chooses (through its council) 3 members of the Great Council of Chiefs and 1 Senator. Rotuma is a volcanic island of approximately 43 square kilometers, located at 12 degrees south latitude and 177 degrees east longitude, approximately 465 kilometers north of Fiji. ... A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... The Council of Rotuma is a municipal body on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. ...

Below the provincial level, districts and villages, based on extended family networks, have their own chiefs and councils. Indigenous Fijian administration is based on the koro, or village, headed by a Turaga ni Koro elected or appointed by the villagers. Several koros combine to form a Tikina, two or more of which comprise a province. In addition, municipal governments have been established for the cities of Suva and Lautoka, and for nine towns. Each has a city or town council, presided over by a Mayor. Local authorities have also been established for rural areas. Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... A municipality or general-purpose district (compare with: special-purpose district) is an administrative local area generally composed of a clearly defined territory and commonly referring to a city, town, or village government. ... A city is an urban area, differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ... Alternate use: see Suva (insurer). ... Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. ... A street in Ynysybwl, Wales, relatively stereotypical of a small town A town is usually an urban area which is not considered to rank as a city. ... A mayor (Latin maīor better) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ...

Divisions and provinces - statistics

Alternate use: see Suva (insurer). ... Labasa is a town in Fiji with a population of approximately 25,000 as of 1996. ... Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. ... Rotuma is a volcanic island of approximately 43 square kilometers, located at 12 degrees south latitude and 177 degrees east longitude, approximately 465 kilometers north of Fiji. ...

External link

• Population statisitics (http://www.citypopulation.de/Fiji.html#i8613)
• Local Government in Asia and the Pacific - Fiji (http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:RplJu5hkXbwJ:www.unescap.org/huset/lgstudy/country/fiji/fiji.html+Fiji+provinces&hl=en)