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Fiji joined the Committee for Coordination of Joint Prospecting for Mineral Resources in South Pacific Offshore Areas [CCOP/SOPAC], as a founding member in 1972. CCOP/SOPAC became autonomous in 1984 and later changed its name to the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission [SOPAC] in 1989.

The Fiji Islands, the hub of the South Pacific, is an archipelago of over 320 islands located between latitudes 15° South and 22° South, and between longitudes 174° East and 177° West. Fiji has 18,272 square kilometres of land area, surrounded by an Exclusive Economic Zone [EEZ] of 1.26 million square kilometres.

Fiji sits near the edge of the Indo-Australia? Plate between two opposite facing subduction zones and forms part of the South-West? Pacific island arc systems, which marks the boundary between the Indo-Australian? and Pacific Tectonic Plates (Johnson, 1990). Fiji’s tectonic history dates back to some 40 million years ago, which is reflected in the strong, faulting and folding of 12 to 7 million old rocks south west of Viti Levu (Rodd, 1993). Rodd, 1993, states that Fiji represents a portion of the old Vityaz Arc, which was split up and rotated anti-clockwise to its present position, forming a mini plate known as the Fiji Plate. The opposite facing subduction zones have resulted in the formation of transform faults of the Fiji Fracture Zone and the Hunter Fracture Zone. “Seafloor spreading resulted in the divergence and opening up of the North Fiji Basin and the Lau Basin (Rodd, 1993).

Fiji’s location makes the country susceptible to climatic changes and various natural hazards, such as cyclones, hurricanes, storm surge, coastal flooding, river flooding, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Fiji’s climate is influenced by the south-east trade winds. It has two distinctive seasons: the wet season from November to April and the dry season from May to October. The windward sides of the larger islands are extremely wet; the average rainfall on the windward side ranges from 1,090 millimetres in the dry season to 2,497 millimetres in the wet season. The leeward sides have considerably less rainfall, with an average of 479 millimetres of rain in the dry season and 1,392 millimetres in the wet season.

The EEZ of the Fiji Islands holds a variety of minerals. Concerned groups are currently verifying the mineral potential for hydrocarbons and polymetalic sulphides [gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc]. On land mineral resource are gold, silver and cooper. Gold contributes a sizeable portion to the local economy.

The archipelago of islands has access to two types of water sources: ground water and surface water. Over 70% of Fiji’s population has access to proper piped water supplies and this percentage continues to increase.

Fiji has a gradually rising population. At the last census in 1996, the population was 775,077, with an increase of 0.8% since 1986. The mid-year population estimates for 2003 stand at 831,600. Fiji’s population consists of Indigenous Fijians [51%], Indians [43.6%], and other ethnicities that make up the remainder. Migration towards the cities and towns continues, with the largest number of people living in the capital city of Suva.

Fiji has a vibrant and diverse economy in comparison to the rest of the Pacific. GDP per capita in 2001 stood at F$4, 222 (www.statsfiji.gov.fj). It has strong tourism, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying and manufacturing sectors. Fiji’s exports include sugar, garments, gold, tropical fruits, root crops, vegetables, tobacco, fish, and coconut and timber products.

With a vibrant economy and high population, energy is an essential component of the livelihood of the Fiji Islands. Fiji utilises a variety of energy sources for residential and industrial purposes, including hydro, biomass, solar, wind, wave and geothermal energy.