Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga (Tongan: Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprises 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, and stretches over a distance of about 800 kilometers (500 miles) in a north-south line. The islands that constitute the archipelago lie south of Samoa, about one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaiʻi.
Tonga also became known to geographers as the Friendly Islands because of the friendly reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773. He happened to arrive at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga, the islands’ paramount chief, and received an invitation to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but were unable to agree on a plan.
Tonga, the only sovereign monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, has a unique history as the only island nation in the region to have avoided formal colonization.
Other Information
- Etymology of Tonga
- History of Tonga
- Geography of Tonga
- Economy of Tonga
- Demographics of Tonga
- Politics of Tonga
- Energy in Tonga
- Cultures of Tonga
- Sports in Tonga
- Media in Tonga
Facts
- Capital : Nukuʻalofa
- Coordinates : 21°08′S 175°12′W / 21.133°S 175.2°W / -21.133; -175.2
- Official languages : Tongan, English
- Demonym : Tongan
- Independence
- from British protectorate : June 4, 1970 - Area
- Total : 748 km2 (186th), 289 sq mi
- Water (%) : 4.0 - Population
- 2009 estimate : 104,000 (195th)
- Density : 139/km2 (76th1), 360/sq mi - GDP (PPP) : 2008 estimate
- Total : $554 million
- Per capita : $5,382 - GDP (nominal) : 2008 estimate
- Total : $258 million
- Per capita : $2,510 - HDI (2008) :▲0.768 (medium) (99th)
- Currency Paʻanga (TOP)
- Time zone : (UTC+13)
- Summer (DST) : (UTC+13) - Drives on the : left
- Internet TLD : .to
- Calling code : 676
Politics
- Government : Constitutional monarchy
- King : George Tupou V
- Prime Minister : Dr. Feleti Sevele
Links
- Official Tongan Government Portal
- Tonga Legislation
- Chief of State and Cabinet Members
- Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Tonga
- Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources, Kingdom of Tonga
- National Reserve Bank of Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga
- Tonga Coronation of King George Tupou V
- Tonga entry at The World Factbook
- Tonga from UCB Libraries GovPubs
- The Friendly Islands: 1616 to 1900
- Photos of Tonga
- Tonga at the Open Directory Project
- Wikimedia Atlas of Tonga
- Tonga travel guide from Wikitravel
- Tonga Accommodation Online Booking
- The Kingdom of Tonga PhotoBank
- Matangi Tonga national magazine
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