Fiji Indian diaspora

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Fiji Indians
population = 460,000
region1 = flag|Fiji
pop1 = 311,591(2007 census)
ref1 = [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Fiji population up 50,000 in 10 yrs|url=http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2007/10/31/news5.html |work= |publisher=Fijilive |date=2007-10-31 |accessdate=2007-11-04 ]
region2 = flag|Canada
pop2 = 24,441 (2004 figure)
ref2 = [ [http://www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/countrydata/country.cfm Migration facts, stats and maps] ]
region3 = flag|United States
pop3 = 30,890 (2000 figure)
ref3 = [ [http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/stp-159/stp159-fiji.pdf People born in Fiji] ]
region4 = flag|Australia
pop4 = 48,147 (2006 figure)
ref4 = [ [http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/aboutnsw/labour/C5_ethnic_diversity.htm Ethnic Diversity - Country of Birth of Residents 2006] ]
region5 = flag|New Zealand
pop5 = 37,746 (2006 figure)
ref5 = [ [http://www.stats.govt.nz/census/2006-census-data/quickstats-about-culture-identity/quickstats-about-culture-and-identity.htm?page=para009Master QuickStats About Culture and Identity] ]
region6 = flag|United Kingdom
pop6 = 5,571 (2001 figure)
ref6 = [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/born_abroad/countries/html/overview.stm British residents born abroad] ]
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languages = Fiji Hindi (lingua franca), Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu
religions = Hindu (76.7%), Islam (15.9%), Sikh (0.9%), Christian (6.1%), Other (0.4%) [ [http://www.spc.int/PRISM/country/fj/stats/social/religion_stats.htm Population by Religion and by Race] ]
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The Fiji Indian diaspora developed with people of Indian origin leaving Fiji, mainly following the racially inspired coups of 1987 and 2000, to settle primarily in Australia, New Zealand, United States and Canada. Smaller numbers have settled in England, other Pacific islands and other European countries. [ [http://www.worldpress.org/images/freelancersPDF/58_2.pdf Microsoft Word - 05-05-ana1.rtf ] ]

Origin of the Fiji Indians

Indians were initially brought to Fiji as indentured labourers to work on sugar cane plantations. Between 1879 and 1916, a total of 60,000 Indians arrived in Fiji. Approximately 25,000 of these returned to India. From 1900 onwards, some Indians arrived as free immigrants, who were mostly from the provinces of Gujarat and Punjab.

Early Fiji Indian emigration

Fiji Indians have been emigrating to United States, Canada, Australia, England and New Zealand since the early 1960s. These were mainly economic migrants and their number gradually increased in the 1970s and 1980s to reach approximately 4000 per year.

The exodus following the military coups

Following the military coup of 1987, few Indians saw any future in staying in Fiji and tried to find any means to leave the country. Professional, middle class and business found it easier to emigrate. It has been estimated that more than 100,000 Fiji Indians have emigrated since 1987. This represents a third of the existing Indian population in Fiji. [ [http://epress.anu.edu.au/islands/pdf/islands-whole.pdf 00 Upfront.pmd ] ]

References