day Papua was obtained. In 1901 the Territory passed to the control of the federal government and what was then designated "British New Guinea" became the Territory of Papua.

The Chief Executive of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea is an appointed Administrator. A House of Assembly was inaugurated in June 1964 replacing the previous Legislative Council Currently, the House consists of 64 elected members and 10 appointed members. In 1968 the number of elected members in the House is to be increased to 84. Also, an "Under Secretary System" has been formed which consists of 10 under secretaries from among the elected members of the House. The House has full legislative power subject to the approval of the Administrator, and in some cases, the Governor-General of Australia. An Administrator's Council, consisting of the Administrator, 3 official and 7 elected members of the House, serves in an advisory capacity to the Government.

Administratively, the Territory is composed of 15 districts, 6 in Papua and 9 in New Guinea Port Moresby is the administrative center for the administrative union of the two territories.

The Territory will probably achieve full internal self-government within the next few years.

The TOKELAU ISLANDS are in the South Pacific between 8° and 10° South latitude and 171° and 173° West longitude. The islands are 2,100 miles northeast of New Zealand. Geographically, the group consists of 4 islands: Atafu, Nukunono, Fakaofo, and Swains. The last named is part of American Samoa, while the others are under New Zealand administration. The United States claims the 3 islands under New Zealand administration. The islands of the Tokelau group were discovered in 1765 by an English explorer. However, not until 1877 was official protection extended, nor formally declared until 1899. The group was annexed in 1916 and placed under the administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. In 1925, however, the British Government formally transferred jurisdiction to New Zealand. By the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948, the Tokelau group was included within the territorial boundaries of New Zealand.

Local administration is directed by appointed officials. The chief executive is the Administrator, who resides at Apia, Western Samoa. There are no administrative divisions.

PITCAIRN ISLAND colony is in the South Pacific, 4,100 miles from the Panama Canal and 3,200 miles from New Zealand. The Colony includes the island of Pitcairn (2 sq. mi.) and the uninhabited islands of Henderson (12 sq. mi.), Ducie (2.5 sq. mi.), and Oeno (2 sq. mi.).

Pitcairn Island became a British Colony as a result of settlement by the Bounty mutineers. In 1856, when the population became too great, the inhabitants were resettled on Norfolk Island; but about 40 of them soon returned to Pitcairn.

The Colony is governed by the Governor of Fiji with the assistance of 4 elected Island Officers and the Island Council. The latter consists of the Island Officers, the Island Secretary, 3 nominated and 2 non-voting advisory members. The small population obviates any formal government. Adamstown is the only village on the island.

Western Samoa

The islands were a German protectorate from 1899 until the close of World War I. New Zealand administered the islands from 1920 to 1961: first under a League of Nations mandate, and then from 1946 until independence, under a U.N. Trusteeship Agreement.

Western Samoa became The Independent State of Western Samoa on January 1, 1962, in accordance with an agreement between New Zealand, the Samoan leaders, and the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations. It has not sought membership in the Commonwealth.

DEPARTMENT OF

STATE

AUGUST 1969

THE FIJI ISLANDS

Population: 512, 062 (1968 est.)
Capital: Suva

The Colony of Fiji has been called the crossroads of the South Pacific because of its central location some 1,700 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia; 1,100 miles north of Auckland, New Zealand; and 2,776 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. From Suva, the distance to Noumea, New Caledonia, is 734 miles; to Apia, Samoa, 647 miles; and to Papeete, Tahiti, about 2,000 miles. The Colony is composed of about 322 islands of varying sizes ranging from the great island of Viti Levu, which covers 4,011 square miles, to mere rocks a few yards in circumference. About 105 islands are inhabited. The total land area of the Colony-including the island of Rotuma, which is a dependency of Fiji-is 7,083 square miles, or about the same size as the State of Massachusetts.

Fiji is a beautiful country. The larger islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin, often rising abruptly from the shore to heights of 4,000 to 4,300 feet. On the windward, or southeastern, sides where precipitation is heavy (up to 130 inches annually) the islands are covered with dense tropical forests. The interior lowlands are less timbered and in comparatively recent times, when the native population was much larger, were under cultivation. The low sides of the islands are sheltered by mountains and have a well-marked dry season favorable to plantation crops such as sugar. The country has more than adequate water and is rich in harbors and roadsteads.

Fiji's climate is of the tropical oceanic type, tempered by the prevalent southeast trade winds which control it. Malaria is entirely absent, although the high humidity is rather enervating. There is little range of temperature in time or place, the average being about 78°F.

Because of its status as a British Crown Colony, Fiji flies the flag of the United Kingdom.

THE PEOPLE

mile. Population growth rate has averaged about 3 percent; however, in recent years, through a family-planning program, this figure has fallen somewhat.

The native Fijians are a mixture of Melanesians and Polynesians who came from the Southeast Asian mainland in successive waves many centuries ago. The Indian population has grown from a nucleus of about 60,000 contract laborers brought from India between 1879-1916.

Virtually all of the native Fijian population is Christian-about 85 percent Methodist and 12 percent Roman Catholic. Approximately 70 percent of the Fijian-Indian population is Hindu and about 25 percent Moslem; the remainder are other sects, including Christian. English is the official language of the country. The literacy rate is estimated at 85 percent.

HISTORY

Although the Fiji Islands were discovered by a Dutchman, Abel Tasman, in 1643, they were not visited again until Capt. James Cook called in 1774. European traders, missionaries, whalers, and deserters began to arrive and settle in the first half of the 19th century. The native Fijian confederacies were almost constantly at war with each other until Chief Cakobau became the Paramount Chief of Western Fiji in the mid-19th century. In 1871 the Europeans in Fiji (about 2,000) established an administration under Chief Cakobau.

After a period of virtual chaos, a Convention of Chiefs resolved to cede Fiji unconditionally to Great Britain. This deed of cession was signed on October 10, 1874. The present governmental system is based upon a Constitution adopted in London on September 20, 1966, and effective in Fiji 3 days later. The ministerial system of government, which was provided for in the Constitution, was put into effect in 1967. The United States maintained military forces and installations in Fiji during World War II, but on the whole the war did not seriously affect the Colony.

Fiji is a British Crown Colony. The principal organs of the Government are the Governor, a

Council of Ministers, and a Legislative Council. The Governor, appointed by the British monarch and responsible to the British Government, heads the administration. He presides over an 11-member Council of Ministers, an advisory body appointed by him. Four of the members of the Council serve ex officio, and all 11 are members of the Legislative Council.

The Legislative Council has 40 members, four of whom are appointed ex officio by the Governor and 36 elected. Communal electoral rolls elect nine Indians, nine Fijians, and seven general members (primarily Europeans and Chinese) to the Council. In addition, a system of cross-voting by all voters elects three Indians, three Fijians, and three general members. The Council of Chiefs, itself a partially elected body of Fijians, elects the two remaining, Fijian, members. The majority

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party selects the speaker of the Legislative Council. The Legislative Council is elected for a 5year term unless dissolved before that time by order of the Governor. The next election is scheduled for 1971.

The majority party, the Alliance Party, forms the present Government with 26 seats, while the National Federation Party, with nine seats, comprises the opposition. All members of the opposition were elected from the Indian communal rolls. There is also one independent member of the Legislative Council who withdrew from the Alliance Party in 1968.

The highest court in the country is the Supreme Court of Fiji, headed by a Chief Justice who is appointed by the British Government.

Since Fiji is in a transitional phase away from colonial status, the Chief Minister plays a role