Fiji gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1970, becoming an independent Commonwealth realm on 10 October that year.
The path to independence followed constitutional negotiations between representatives of Indigenous Fijians, Indo-Fijians, and other communities. A compromise reached at a 1970 conference in London created a timetable for Fiji to become fully sovereign while retaining its association with the Commonwealth.
Independence was formally marked in Suva. The Union Jack was lowered at sunset on 9 October 1970, and the Fijian flag was raised after midnight. Ratu Kamisese Mara became Fiji's first prime minister.
A common mix-up is confusing independence with later constitutional changes. Fiji became a republic after the coups of 1987, but that happened 17 years after independence. The year 1970 refers specifically to the end of British colonial rule.