World Atlas: Tonga. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Tonga.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Tonga. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Tonga. But let's start with the flag of Tonga here:
Tonga - Overview:
What you should know about Tonga? Let's start with this: Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
Geography of Tonga
Where on the globe is Tonga? The location of this country is Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. Total area of Tonga is 747 sq km, of which 717 sq km is land. So this is quite a small country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mostly flat islands with limestone bedrock formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic rock. The lowest point of Tonga is Pacific Ocean 0 m, the highest point Kao Volcano on Kao Island 1,046 m. And the climate is tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December).
Inhabitants of Tonga
Let's take a look how many people live in Tonga. The number is: 106,479 (July 2017 est.). So not so many people live here. Who lives here? Tongan 96.6%, part-Tongan 1.7%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.03% (2006 est.). What are the languages in Tonga? English and Tongan 87%, Tongan (official) 10.7%, English (official) 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.03% (2006 est.). And the religions: Protestant 64.9% (includes Free Wesleyan Church 37.3%, Free Church of Tonga 11.4%, Church of Tonga 7.2%, Tokaikolo Christian Church 2.6%, Assembly of God 2.3%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.2%, Constitutional Church of Tonga 0.9%, Anglican 0.8% and Full Gospel Church 0.2%), Mormon 16.8%, Roman Catholic 15.6%, other 1.1%, none 0.03%, unspecified 1.7% (2006 est.). How old are the people in average? 23 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 76.4 years. Where the people live in Tonga? Here: over two-thirds of the population lives on the island of Tongatapu; only 45 of the nation's 171 islands are occupied. The major urban areas of Tonga are: NUKU'Alofa 25,000 (2014).
Government and Economy of Tonga
The capital of Tonga is Nuku'alofa and the government type constitutional monarchy. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 5 island divisions; 'Eua, Ha'apai, Ongo Niua, Tongatapu, Vava'u. Regarding the economy of Tonga, important industrial products are tourism, construction, fishing. Important agricultural products are squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, sweet potatoes, cassava, taro and kava. The most important export commodities are squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops and the most important export partners are Hong Kong 25.6%, Japan 15.1%, NZ 14.3%, US 13.5%, Australia 10%, Philippines 9.4% (2016). The most important import commodities are foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals and the most important import partners are NZ 35.3%, Fiji 12.1%, Singapore 9.3%, China 8.4%, US 8%, Australia 7.6%, Japan 4.3% (2016). How rich is Tonga and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $5,600 (2017 est.). This is quite a low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 24% (FY03/04 est.).