Fiji People Profile 2012

Roughly three-fourths of the people of Fiji live on Viti Levu, largely in coastal areas. Some 100 other islands are inhabited.

Indigenous Fijians account for more than half of the population; they are largely of Melanesian descent. About one-third of the population are Indians, descendants of indentured laborers brought from India between 1879 and 1916 to work on sugar plantations. Indians and other nonindigenous Fijians control most of the commerce and industry. Indigenous Fijians own most of the land and are engaged chiefly in agriculture.

Virtually all indigenous Fijians are Christians, mostly Methodists. Hinduism is the predominant religion among the Indians. Fiji has three official languages: English, Fijian , and Hindustani, the spoken form of Hindi. English is used in the schools. About 85 per cent of the people are literate. The chief institution of higher learning is the University of the South Pacific, at Suva.