   #copyright

Tonga

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; Geography of
Oceania (Australasia)

                     Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga
   KINGDOM OF TONGA

   Flag of Tonga Coat of arms of Tonga
   Flag          Coat of arms
   Motto: Ko e ʻOtua mo Tonga ko hoku tofiʻa
   ("God and Tonga are my Inheritance")
   Anthem: Ko e fasi ʻo e tuʻi ʻo e ʻOtu Tonga
   Location of Tonga
          Capital        Nukuʻalofa
                         21°08′S 175°12′W
       Largest city      Nukuʻalofa
    Official languages   Tongan, English
   Government            Monarchy
    - King               George Tupou V
    - Prime Minister     Dr. Feleti Sevele
         Monarchy
    - Independence       4 June 1970, from British protectorate status
                                  Area
    - Total              748 km² ( 186th)
                         289 sq mi
    - Water (%)          4
                               Population
    - July 2005 estimate 102,000 ( 194th)
    - Density            153/km² ( 67th^1)
                         396/sq mi
        GDP ( PPP)       2005 estimate
    - Total              $817  million ( 167th)
    - Per capita         $7,984 ( 76th)
        HDI  (2003)      0.810 (high) ( 54th)
         Currency        Paʻanga ( TOP)
         Time zone       ( UTC+13)
    - Summer ( DST)      ( UTC+13)
       Internet TLD      .to
       Calling code      +676
   ^1 based on 2005 figures.

   Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( Tongan for "south"), is an
   independent archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. It lies about a
   third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii, south of Samoa and
   east of Fiji.

   The islands are also known as the Friendly Islands, the name given by
   Captain Cook because of the friendly reception he received. He happened
   to arrive at the time of ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the
   first fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga and was invited to the festivities.
   According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had
   wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but had been unable to agree
   on a plan.

History

   Archaeological evidence shows that the first settlers in Tonga sailed
   from the Santa Cruz Islands, as part of the original
   Austronesian-speakers' ( Lapita) migration which originated out of S.E.
   Asia some 6000 years ago. Archaeological dating places Tonga as the
   oldest known site in Polynesia for the distinctive Lapita ceramic ware,
   at 2800–2750 years ago. The " Lapita" people lived and sailed, traded,
   warred, and intermarried in the islands now known as Tonga, Samoa, and
   Fiji for 1000 years, before more explorers set off to the east to
   discover the Marquesas, Tahiti, and eventually the rest of the Pacific
   Ocean islands. For this reason, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji are described by
   anthropologists as the cradle of Polynesian culture and civilization.

   By the 12th century, Tongans, and the Tongan paramount chief, the Tuʻi
   Tonga, were known across the Pacific, from Niue to Tikopia, sparking
   some historians to refer to a ' Tongan Empire'. A network of
   interacting navigators, chiefs, and adventurers might be a better term
   although the empire did have its own dynasties. In the 15th century and
   again in the 17th, civil war erupted. It was in this context that the
   first Europeans arrived, beginning with Dutch explorers Willem Schouten
   and Jacob Le Maire in 1616, who called on the northern island of
   Niuatoputapu, and Abel Tasman, who visited Tongatapu and Haʻapai in
   1643. Later noteworthy European visits were by Captain Cook in 1773,
   1774, and 1777, the first London missionaries in 1797, and the Wesleyan
   Methodist Walter Lawry Buller in 1822.

   Tonga was united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845 by the ambitious
   young warrior, strategist, and orator Tāufaʻāhau. He held the chiefly
   title of Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but was baptised with the name King George.
   In 1875, with the help of missionary Shirley Baker, he declared Tonga a
   constitutional monarchy, formally adopted the western royal style,
   emancipated the 'serfs', enshrined a code of law, land tenure, and
   freedom of the press, and limited the power of the chiefs.

   Tonga became a British protected state under a Treaty of Friendship on
   18 May 1900, when European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs tried to
   oust the second king. Within the British Empire, which posted no higher
   permanent representative on Tonga than a British Consul (1901-1970), it
   was part of the British Western Pacific Territories (under a colonial
   High Commissioner, then residing on Fiji) from 1901 until 1952.

   The Treaty of Friendship and Tonga's protectorate status ended in 1970
   under arrangements established prior to her death by Queen Salote Tupou
   III. Tonga joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970 (atypically as an
   autochthonous monarchy, that is one with its own hereditary monarch
   rather than Elizabeth II), and the United Nations in September 1999.
   While exposed to colonial forces, Tonga has never lost indigenous
   governance, a fact that makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and gives
   Tongans much pride, as well as confidence in their monarchal system. As
   part of cost cutting measures across the British Foreign Service, the
   British Government closed the British High Commission in Nukuʻalofa in
   March 2006, transferring representation of British interests in Tonga
   to the UK High Commissioner in Fiji. The last resident British High
   Commissioner was His Excellency Mr. Paul Nessling.

Politics

   Map of Tonga
   Enlarge
   Map of Tonga

   Tonga is a constitutional monarchy. The reverence for the kingship is
   likened to that held in prior centuries for the sacred paramount chief,
   the Tuʻi Tonga. Criticism of the monarch is held to be contrary to
   Tongan culture and etiquette. A direct descendant of the first monarch,
   King George Tupou V, his family, some powerful nobles, and a growing
   non-royal elite caste live in much wealth, with the rest of the country
   living in relative poverty. The effects of this disparity are mitigated
   by three factors: education, medicine, and land tenure.

   Tonga's education system is free and mandatory for all children up to
   age twelve, with only nominal fees for secondary education, and
   foreign-funded scholarships for post-secondary education. Tongans are
   well-educated, with a 98% literacy rate, and higher education up to and
   including medical and graduate degrees. Tongans also have universal
   access to a socialized medicine system. Tongan land is constitutionally
   protected and cannot be sold to foreigners (although it may be leased).
   While there is a land shortage on the urbanized main island of
   Tongatapu (where 60% of the population resides), there is farm land
   available in the rural islands. The majority of the population engages
   in some form of subsistence production of food, with approximately half
   producing almost all of their basic food needs through farming, sea
   harvesting, and animal husbandry. Women and men have equal access to
   education and health care, and are fairly equal in employment, but
   women are discriminated against in land holding, electoral politics,
   and government ministries.

   There is a pro-democracy movement in Tonga, which emphasises reforms
   including better representation in the Parliament for the majority
   commoners, and better accountability in matters of state. An overthrow
   of the monarchy itself is not part of the movement and the institution
   of monarchy continues to hold popular support, even while reforms are
   advocated. Until recently, the governance issue was generally ignored
   by the leaders of other countries, but major aid donors and neighbours
   New Zealand and Australia are now expressing concerns about some Tongan
   government actions.

   Following the precedents of Queen Sālote, and with numerous
   international advisors, the government of Tonga under King Tāufaʻāhau
   Tupou IV has monetized the economy, internationalized the medical and
   education system, and enabled access by commoners to increasing forms
   of material wealth (houses, cars, and other commodities), education,
   and overseas travel. The government has supported Olympic and other
   international sports competition, and contributed Peacekeepers to the
   United Nations (notably to Bougainville). The Tongan government also
   supported the American ' coalition of the willing' action in Iraq, and
   a small number of Tongan soldiers were deployed, as part of an American
   force, to Iraq in late 2004. However, the contingent of 40+ troops
   returned home on 17 December 2004.

   The previous king, Tāufaʻāhau and his government have made some
   problematic economic decisions and are accused of wasting millions of
   dollars in poor investments. The problems have mostly been driven by
   attempts to increase national revenue through a variety of schemes,
   including searching for oil (despite geological reports indicating no
   possible oil); considering making Tonga a nuclear waste disposal site
   (an idea floated in the mid-90s by the current crown prince); selling
   Tongan Protected Persons Passports (which eventually forced Tonga to
   nationalize the purchasers, sparking ethnicity-based concerns within
   Tonga); registering foreign ships (which proved to be engaged in
   illegal activities, including shipments for al-Qaeda); claiming
   geo-orbital satellite slots (the revenue from which seems to belong to
   the Princess Royal, not the state); holding a long-term charter on an
   unusable Boeing 757 that was sidelined in Auckland Airport, leading to
   the collapse of Royal Tongan Airlines; building an airport hotel and
   potential casino with an Interpol-accused criminal; and approving a
   factory for exporting cigarettes to China (against the advice of Tongan
   medical officials, and decades of health promotion messaging). The king
   has proved vulnerable to speculators with big promises and lost several
   million (reportedly 26 million USD) to Jesse Bogdonoff, a financial
   adviser who called himself the king's Court Jester. The police have
   imprisoned pro-democracy leaders, and the government repeatedly
   confiscated the newspaper The Tongan Times (which was printed in New
   Zealand and sold in Tonga) because the editor had been vocally critical
   of the king's mistakes. Notably, the Keleʻa, produced specifically to
   critique the government and printed in Tonga by pro-democracy leader
   ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, was not banned during that time. Pōhiva, however, had
   been subjected to harassment in the form of frequent lawsuits.
   Royal palace of Tonga
   Enlarge
   Royal palace of Tonga

   In mid-2003, the government passed a radical constitutional amendment
   to "Tonganize" the press, by licensing and limiting freedom of the
   press, so as to protect the image of the monarchy. The amendment was
   defended by the government and by royalists on the basis of traditional
   cultural values. Licensure criteria include 80% ownership by Tongans
   living in the country. As of February 2004, those papers denied
   licenses under the new act included the Taimi ʻo Tonga (Tongan Times),
   the Keleʻa and the Matangi Tonga, while those which were permitted
   licenses were uniformly church-based or pro-government. The bill was
   opposed in the form of a several-thousand-strong protest march in the
   capital, a call by the Tuʻi Pelehake (a prince, nephew of the king and
   elected member of parliament) for Australia and other nations to
   pressure the Tongan government to democratize the electoral system, and
   a legal writ calling for a judicial investigation of the bill. The
   latter was supported by some 160 signatories, including seven of the
   nine elected "People's Representatives". The strong-arm tactics and
   gaffes have overshadowed the good that the aged king had done in his
   lifetime, as well as the many beneficial reforms of his son, ʻAhoʻeitu
   ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho (Lavaka Ata ʻUlukālala), who was Prime Minister
   from 3 January 2000 to 11 February 2006. The former Crown Prince and
   current monarch, Tupoutoʻa, and Pilolevu, the Princess Royal, remained
   generally silent on the issue. In total, the changes threatened to
   destabilize the polity, fraction support for the status quo, and place
   further pressure on the monarchy.

   In 2005 the government spent several weeks negotiating with striking
   civil service workers before reaching a settlement. The civil unrest
   that ensued was not limited to just Tonga; protests outside the king's
   New Zealand residence made headlines, too. A constitutional commission
   is currently (2005-06) studying proposals to update the constitution.

   Prime Minister Prince ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho (Lavaka Ata
   ʻUlukālala) resigned suddenly on 11 February 2006, and also gave up his
   other cabinet portfolios. He was replaced in the interim by the elected
   Minister of Labour, Dr Feleti Sevele.

   The co-chairman of the constitutional reform commission His Royal
   Highness ʻUluvalu (Prince Tuipelehake), 55, who was a nephew of the
   King, and his wife, Kaimana Aleamotuʻa, 45, were killed by Edith
   Delgado, an 18-year old reckless teenager driving a Ford Mustang as she
   was racing in a California freeway near Menlo Park about 30 miles south
   of San Francisco, California on 5 July 2006. The teenager was reported
   to have been travelling around 100mph upon hitting the red Ford
   Explorer carrying the two and also instantly killing the driver of the
   Explorer. Delgado was not hurt in the accident. .

   The Tongan government formally announced Monday, 11 September 2006 that
   King Tupou IV died late Sunday night in Middlemore Hospital in
   Auckland, New Zealand where he had been receiving treatment for much of
   the past year. He was 88 and had reigned for 41 years.

   He was succeeded by his eldest son, Tupoutoʻa, now ruling under the
   title Siaosi Tupou V.

   The public expected some changes under the new monarch. On November 16,
   2006, rioting broke out in the capital city of Nuku'alofa when it
   seemed that the parliament would adjourn for the year without having
   made any advances in increasing democracy in government. Government
   buildings, offices, and shops were looted and burned.

Kings and queens of modern Tonga

    1. King George Tupou I (1875-1893)
    2. King George Tupou II (1893-1918)
    3. Queen Salote Tupou III (1918-1965)
    4. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (1965-2006)
    5. King George Tupou V (2006-present)

Geography

   Map of Tonga
   Enlarge
   Map of Tonga

   Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific consisting of 169 islands,
   36 of them inhabited, and is divided into three main groups – Vavaʻu,
   Haʻapai, and Tongatapu, which together cover an 800  kilometre (500
   mi) long north–south line. The largest island, Tongatapu, on which the
   capital city of Nukuʻalofa is located, covers 257 square kilometres
   (99  sq mi). Geologically, the Tongan islands generally comprise two
   types: volcanic islands rising directly from the ocean floor (e.g. Kao
   and Tofua in the Haʻapai group), and seismically uplifted coral
   limestone islands overlaying an older volcanic base (e.g. Tongatapu).
   The active volcanic islands are situated in an approximate north-south
   line located west of the more populated islands. A new volcanic island
   broke the ocean's surface in the Haʻapai group during the 1990s.

   On August 12, 2006, the crew of the yacht Maiken reported sighting a
   new volcanic island breaking the sea after sailing through a pumice
   raft. There was no official confirmation of a new island, either from
   Tonga's Ministry of Lands or the Tonga Defense Service. Instead of
   contacting officials in Tonga, the crew wrote about the experience in
   their travel blog. Shortly thereafter, NASA contacted the crew to
   obtain the exact latitude and longitude coordinates of the new island.
   Links to the blog and NASA images can be found on the Vava'u page.

   The 2006 Tonga earthquake was a great earthquake measuring 8.0 on the
   Richter scale which occurred on 4 May 2006 (Tonga time). The quake was
   centred about 155 km (95 miles) south of the island of Neiafu and
   north-east of the capital, Nuku'alofa.

   The climate is basically subtropical with a distinct warm period
   (December–April), during which the temperatures rise above 32 ° C (90 °
   F), and a cooler period (May–November), with temperatures rarely rising
   above 27 °C (80 °F). The temperature increases from 23 °C to 27 °C
   (74 °F to 80 °F), and the annual rainfall is from 1,700 to 2,970
   millimetres (67 to 117  in) as one moves from Tongatapu in the south to
   the more northerly islands closer to the Equator. The mean daily
   humidity is 80%. Over the last few years the weather has been warmer
   and wetter than average in the cooler period (May–November), this has
   caused some problems with fruiting trees and other crops grown on the
   island.

Economy

   A Tongan coin, see also: paʻanga
   Enlarge
   A Tongan coin, see also: paʻanga

   Tonga's economy is characterized by a large non monetary sector and a
   heavy dependence on remittances from the half of the country's
   population that lives abroad, chiefly in Australia, New Zealand, and
   the United States. The monetary sector of the economy is dominated and
   largely owned by the royal family and nobles. This is particularly true
   of the telecommunications and satellite services. Much of small
   business, particularly retail establishments on Tongatapu, is now
   dominated by recent Chinese immigrants who arrived under a
   cash-for-passports scheme ended in 1998.

   The manufacturing sector consists of handicrafts and a few other very
   smallscale industries, all of which contribute only about 3% of GDP.
   Commercial business activities also are inconspicuous and, to a large
   extent, are dominated by the same large trading companies found
   throughout the South Pacific. In September 1974, the country's first
   commercial trading bank, the Bank of Tonga, opened.

   Rural Tongans rely on plantation and subsistence agriculture. Coconuts,
   vanilla beans, and bananas are the major cash crops. The processing of
   coconuts into copra and desiccated coconut is the only significant
   industry. Pigs and poultry are the major types of livestock. Horses are
   kept for draft purposes, primarily by farmers working their api (a plot
   of bushland). More cattle are being raised, and beef imports are
   declining.

   Tonga's development plans emphasize a growing private sector, upgrading
   agricultural productivity, revitalizing the squash and vanilla bean
   industries, developing tourism, and improving the island's
   communications and transportation systems. Substantial progress has
   been made, but much work remains to be done. A small but growing
   construction sector is developing in response to the inflow of aid
   monies and remittances from Tongans abroad. The copra industry is
   plagued by world prices that have been depressed for years.

   Efforts are being made to discover ways to diversify. One hope is seen
   in fisheries; tests have shown that sufficient skipjack tuna pass
   through Tongan waters to support a fishing industry. Another potential
   development activity is exploitation of forests, which cover 35% of the
   kingdom's land area but are decreasing as land is cleared. Coconut
   trees past their prime bearing years also provide a potential source of
   lumber.

   The tourist industry is relatively undeveloped; however, the government
   recognizes that tourism can play a major role in economic development,
   and efforts are being made to increase this source of revenue. Cruise
   ships often stop in Nukuʻalofa and Vavaʻu.

   In 2005 the country became a member of the World Trade Organization.

Demographics

   Almost two-thirds of the population of the Kingdom of Tonga live on its
   main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have
   moved into the only urban and commercial centre, Nukuʻalofa, where
   European and indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended,
   village life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout the
   country. Everyday life is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions
   and especially by the Christian faith; for example, all commerce and
   entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight
   Sunday, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be sacred,
   forever. Tonga is said to have the highest proportion of Latter-day
   Saints (Mormons) of any state or country outside of Utah.

   Tongans, a Polynesian group with a very small mixture of Melanesian,
   represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European,
   mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There also are several
   hundred Chinese.

   Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in state
   schools. Mission schools provide about 83% of the primary and 90% of
   the secondary level education. Higher education includes teacher
   training, nursing and medical training, a small private university, a
   women's business college, and a number of private agricultural schools.
   Most higher education is pursued overseas.

Culture and diaspora

   Whales off the coast of E'ua Island
   Enlarge
   Whales off the coast of E'ua Island
   Kava culture
   Enlarge
   Kava culture

   The Tongan archipelago has been inhabited for perhaps 3000 years, since
   settlement in late Lapita times. The culture of its inhabitants has
   surely changed greatly over this long time period. Before the arrival
   of European explorers in the late 1600s and early 1700s, the Tongans
   were in frequent contact with their nearest Oceanic neighbors, Fiji and
   Samoa. In the 1800s, with the arrival of Western traders and
   missionaries, Tongan culture changed dramatically. Some old beliefs and
   habits were thrown away, and others adopted. Some accommodations made
   in the 1800s and early 1900s are now being challenged by changing
   Western civilization. Hence Tongan culture is far from a unified or
   monolithic affair, and Tongans themselves may differ strongly as to
   what it is "Tongan" to do, or not do.

   Contemporary Tongans often have strong ties to overseas lands. Many
   Tongans have emigrated to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States
   to seek employment and a higher standard of living. U.S. cities with
   significant Tongan American populations include San Mateo, California;
   East Palo Alto, California; Oakland, California; Los Angeles,
   California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Euless, Texas
   (near the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex). This Tongan diaspora is still
   closely tied to relatives at home, and a significant portion of Tonga's
   income derives from remittances to family members (often aged) who
   prefer to remain in Tonga.

   Tongans, therefore, often have to operate in two different contexts,
   which they often call anga fakatonga, the traditional Tongan way, and
   anga fakapãlangi, the Western way. A culturally adept Tongan learns
   both sets of rules and when to switch between them.

Sport

   Rugby union is the most popular sport in Tonga, and the national team
   (Ikale Tahi) has performed quite well on the international stage. Tonga
   has competed at four Rugby World Cups, the first being in 1987, and its
   best result thus far was in 1995 when it reached the first round. Tonga
   performs the Kailao (Sipi Tau) before its matches. Tonga also competes
   in the Pacific Tri-Nations and the IRB Pacific 5 Nations. At club
   level, there are the Datec Cup Provincial Championship and the Pacific
   Rugby Cup. Rugby union is governed by the Tonga Rugby Football Union,
   which is also a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance. Tonga
   contributes to the Pacific Islanders rugby union team.

   Boxer Paea Wolfgram won the silver medal in the Super Heavyweight
   division (> 91kg) at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Miscellany

     * On either his 1773 or 1777 visit, Captain Cook presented a tortoise
       to the king. This tortoise, known thereafter as Tuʻi Malila, lived
       to be either 188 or 192 years old. It is listed in the Guinness
       Book of World Records as the oldest animal (kingdom Animalia) on
       record.
     * Tonga is famous as the location where Fletcher Christian forced
       William Bligh into an open boat during the mutiny on HMS Bounty
       (1789). Bligh briefly went ashore at Tofua, which was then heavily
       populated, in search of water. The Tongans fought Bligh and killed
       a member of his crew, forcing Bligh back out into the open ocean.
       Bligh and his small crew eventually made their way to the Dutch
       East Indies, setting a record for the longest voyage in an open
       boat (3618 nautical miles / 6701 km).
     * In 1972, the military of Tonga took over the micronation Republic
       of Minerva, which had created an artificial island on the Minerva
       reefs.
     * In Wil McCarthy's The Queendom of Sol, a series of science fiction
       novels, the Queen of Sol is said to be a descendant of the Tongan
       royal family.
     * The Walt Disney film The Other Side of Heaven, is based on the real
       life story of a young (Mormon) missionary in Tonga, though the film
       was shot on location in the Cook Islands.

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