This was accomplished by the rapid proliferation of railroads in Great Britain and Western Europe starting in the 1840s and by the advent of the steel-built, oceangoing steamship in the 1880s. With these two technological advances the great age of luxury travel dawned, a phenomenon in which rich Americans could also participate once passage across the Atlantic no longer posed a formidable obstacle. Although the Indians are forbidden land ownership, they operate most of the sugar plantations. There are also small Chinese and white minorities. Fiji experiences tensions as a result of its diverse ethnic composition.
Primary education is neither free nor compulsory, but the literacy rate is high.
Gold is the leading mineral product. The underdeveloped industrial sector produces some consumer goods, garments, and food products. Fiji is trying to diversify exports and increase manufacturing. The fishing industry has grown rapidly.