The
population of Fiji is mostly made up of
native Fijians, a people of mixed Polynesian
and Melanesian ancestry (54.3%), and Indo-Fijians
(38.1%), descendants of Indian contract
labourers brought to the islands by the
British in the 19th century. The percentage
of the population of Indian descent has
declined significantly over the last two
decades because of emigration. About 1.2
% are Rotuman—natives of Rotuma
Island, whose culture has more in common
with countries such as Tonga or Samoa
than with the rest of Fiji. There are
also small, but economically significant,
groups of Europeans, Chinese, and other
minorities. Relationships between ethnic
Fijians and Indo-Fijians have often been
strained, and the tension between the
two communities has dominated politics
in the islands for the past generation.
The level of tension varies between different
regions of the country.
Three
official languages are prescribed by the
constitution: English, which was introduced
by the former British colonial rulers,
Bau Fijian, spoken by ethnic Fijians,
and Hindustani, the main language spoken
by Indo-Fijians. Citizens of Fiji have
the constitutional right to communicate
with any government agency in any of the
official languages, with an interpreter
to be supplied on request. The use of
English is one of the most enduring legacies
of almost a century of British rule. Widely
spoken by both ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians,
English is the main medium of communication
between the two communities, as well as
with the outside world. It is the language
in which the government conducts most
of its business, and is the main language
of education, commerce, and the courts.
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