Tonga | History, Capital, Language, Flag, Facts & Geography of Tonga
History of Tonga:
Ongashima is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. The main island is Tongatapu. It has been used since 500 BC. inhabited by Polynesians. The Kingdom of Tonga reached its peak in her 12th century, reaching as far afield as Samoa.
The first European to discover Tonga was the Dutch in 1616. In 1643, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman visited Tongatapu. Captain James Cook then visited the islands and named them the ‘Friendly Islands’.
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In the 19th century, Christianity began to spread to the islands. Leader Taufa’ahou became a Christian and united the islands under one rule. He became King George Tupou I in his 1845.
Information about Tonga:
| Capital | Nuku’alofa |
| Population | 107,773 (Source: 2023 worldometer) |
| Major Cities | Nuku’alofa (capital), Neiafu, Mu’a, Kolovai, Pangai. |
| Borders | Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest; Samoa to the northeast; New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west; Niue (the nearest foreign territory) to the east; and Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $484,796,859 (2020 worldometer) |
| Currency | pa’anga (TOP) |
Flag of Tonga:
Tonga Economy Key Industries:
Tonga Major Industries: tourism, fishing
Tonga Agricultural Products: squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish
Tonga Natural Resources: fish, fertile soil
Tonga Major Exports: squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
Tonga Major Imports: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
The Geography of Tonga:
Total Size of Tonga: 748 km² (source: wikipedia)
Geographical Low Point of Tonga: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Geographical High Point of Tonga: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m
Climate of Tonga: Tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
General Terrain of Tonga: most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
World Region or Continent of Tonga: Oceania
Geographical Coordinates: 20 00 S, 175 00 W
The People of Tonga & Culture
Tonga Government Type: constitutional monarchy
Tonga Nationality: Tongan(s)
Tonga National Holiday: Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)
Tonga Independence: 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)
Tonga National Symbol: red cross on white field; arms equal length
Tonga National Anthem or Song: Ko e fasi `o e tui `o e `Otu Tonga (Song of the King of the Tonga Islands)
Tonga Languages Spoken: Tongan, English
Tonga Religions: Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
Interesting Facts about Tonga:
People have lived in Tonga for about 3,000 years. The first to arrive were the Austronesian-speaking Lapita people, known for their intricately decorated pottery.
Tonga is Oceania’s only monarchy.
The first king of Tonga, known as Tui Tonga, was “Ahoeitu”. When he came to power in his mid-10th century, he was the first in his lineage of nearly 40 men to hold the title.
In 1616, Dutch explorers became the first Europeans to visit Tonga.
From 1773 to his 1777, the famous British explorer Captain James Cook made his three visits to Tonga.
Cook called Tonga “the friendly islands” because the natives warmly welcomed him and his crew.
Tonga was a British protectorate from 1900 to 1970. However, it was never officially colonized. It became fully independent in 1970.
In 1965, six Tongan teenagers survived for 15 months on a remote, uninhabited island. The event was dubbed “The True Lord of the Flies” after William Golding’s 1954 best-selling novel. A Hollywood studio recently acquired the rights to make a film about the event.
In the early 1830s, missionaries converted Tupou of Chief Taufa’ahau to Christianity, and in turn converted his fellow islanders to Christianity. About 99% of Tongans now identify as Christian.
As a result, Tonga is a very conservative Christian country and the Sabbath is strictly observed and Sundays are completely off. Leisure activities such as swimming on Sundays are considered “provocative”.
Additionally, respectful dress is very important in Tonga. It is illegal for both men and women to go topless in public.
Tonga is made up of over 170 islands in the Pacific Ocean that are roughly the size of Japan.
The territory of Tonga extends beyond the International Date Line.
This makes Tonga, along with Samoa and Kiribati, one of the first countries to celebrate the New Year and see the first sunrise of the year every day.
In 2014, after the eruption of a submarine volcano, a new island was formed in the waters of Tonga called Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai.