Fiji has a fairly well-developed infrastructure, with a reasonably comprehensive system of bridges and highways. The islands have 2,137 miles (3,438 kilometers) of roadway, nearly half of which is paved, and 371 miles (597 kilometers) of rail lines. In 1998 Fijians registered 2,265
Communications | ||||||||
Country | Telephones a | Telephones, Mobile/Cellular a | Radio Stations b | Radios a | TV Stations a | Televisions a | Internet Service Providers c | Internet Users c |
Fiji | 72,000 | 5,200 | AM 13; FM 40; shortwave 0 | 500,000 | N/A | 21,000 | 2 | 7,500 |
United States | 194 M | 69.209 M (1998) | AM 4,762; FM 5,542; shortwave 18 | 575 M | 1,500 | 219 M | 7,800 | 148 M |
Philippines | 1.9 M | 1.959 M (1998) | AM 366; FM 290; shortwave 3 (1999) | 11.5 M | 31 | 3.7 M | 33 | 500,000 |
Solomon Islands | 8,000 | 658 | AM 3; FM 0; shortwave 0 | 57,000 | 0 | 3,000 | 1 | 3,000 |
a Data is for 1997 unless otherwise noted. | ||||||||
b Data is for 1998 unless otherwise noted. | ||||||||
c Data is for 2000 unless otherwise noted. | ||||||||
SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2001 [Online]. |
new motor vehicles, 1,424 being private cars. The country also has 5 commercial ports and 25 airports, 3 with paved runways. An international airport, the hub for most trans-Pacific air traffic, is located in Nandi, outside Suva.
Telecommunication systems are also expanding, with full inter-island and international telephone and teleprinter connections, cable links, and satellite access. In 1997 Fiji had 71,403 subscriber telephone lines, or about 1 for every 10 Fijians. A Fijian-British joint venture has attracted the investment of US$7.1 million in a cellular telephone network. As of 1998, there were 4,300 cellular phones in the country. The government intends to further its deregulation of telecommunications by privatizing all or part of Telecom Fiji and opening the market to new Internet service providers (ISP). As of 1999, there were 2 ISPs in Fiji.
Fiji's mountainous terrain is favorable to the development of hydroelectric generation, which supplies 80 percent of its electricity; the remaining 20 percent is produced from imported fossil fuels.
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