Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will pay an official visit to Fiji on April 4-5 as part of his four-nation Asia-Pacific tour.

The following is a brief introduction to Fiji.

Fiji, a beautiful island country located in the center of the Southwest Pacific, comprises 332 islands with a total area of more than 18,000 square km.

Much of Fiji is rugged and covered by dense vegetation. It also features several classic atoll type islands.

Fiji, which experiences tropical weather, is famous for its fantastic natural environment and tourist attractions. The capital city of Suva, the country's political center and clothing base, is also treated as an important international port.

Fiji became independent on Oct. 10, 1970, after nearly a century as a British colony. Fifty-one percent of the country's estimated population of 868,000 are indigenous Fijians and 44 percent Indians. Most people are Christians, Hindus and Muslims with English, Fijian and Indian as the country's official languages.

Fiji, one of the wealthiest of the Pacific Island states, is endowed with rich natural resources, and its major revenue earners are sugar, tourism, fish, clothing, timber and gold mining.

Since the 1980s, the Fijian government has made great efforts to boost the country's tourism. The tourist revenues, as a major foreign exchange earner, accounts for 20 percent of Fiji's gross domestic product (GDP). About 40,000 people, or 15 percent of the country's workforce, are employed in the tourism sector. In 2004, Fiji attracted 570,000 foreign tourists with a revenue of 450 million U.S. dollars.

Bilateral relations between Fiji and China have been developing smoothly since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975. Two-way trade has grown steadily and Fiji now is China's second largest trading partner in the South Pacific states.