Tonga << TONG guh >> is a country made up of about 150 islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The islands lie about 1,950 miles (3,140 kilometers) east of Australia. The British explorer Captain James Cook, who first visited the islands in 1773, called them the Friendly Islands. In 1789, Captain William Bligh and 18 crewmen of the British ship Bounty floated through the islands after being cast adrift by mutineers. Tonga is the only remaining kingdom in Polynesia, one of the three main regions in the Pacific Islands. It became independent in 1970 after being a protectorate of the United Kingdom since 1900. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Many Tongans are farmers. About two-thirds of the people live on Tongatapu, the largest island. Nuku’alofa, Tonga’s capital, chief port, and commercial center, lies on Tongatapu. Nuku’alofa has about 21,000 people.
Government.
Tonga is a constitutional monarchy. The king governs with the help of a cabinet. The Cabinet includes a prime minister and a number of other ministers.
Tonga’s parliament, known as the Legislative Assembly, is composed of 9 elected nobles and 17 elected commoners. The Legislative Assembly elects a prime minister, who is then appointed by the king. The prime minister then selects a cabinet. Most Cabinet members belong to the Assembly, but the prime minister may nominate up to four Cabinet members from outside the Assembly.
Elections take place every four years. Tongans who are at least 21 years old and can read and write may vote. The Legislative Assembly meets at least once per year.
People.
Almost all Tongans are Polynesians and Christians. Tonga’s Constitution prohibits work or recreation on Sunday. Most Tongans live in small villages and raise crops. The people also fish for such seafood as shark and tuna. Most of the islands have no running water, and many have no electric service.
The law requires all Tongan children from 6 to 14 years old to go to school. The government operates almost all of the country’s elementary schools and many of its high schools. Churches operate the rest. The country’s official languages are English and Tongan. Schoolchildren enjoy many sports, especially rugby football. A branch of the University of the South Pacific is in Nuku’alofa.
Land.
Tonga is made up of three main island groups—Ha’apai, Tongatapu, and Vava’u. Most of the islands in these groups are ring-shaped coral reefs called atolls. Most of Tonga’s people live on these islands. A chain of higher, volcanic islands lies west of the coral islands. Some of the volcanoes are active. Fertile clay soils cover most of Tonga. Strips of sandy soil lie along the coasts. Forests cover about 14 percent of the land.
Tonga has a warm, wet climate with high humidity. Temperatures in Tonga average 78 °F (26 °C). The average annual rainfall varies from 70 inches (180 centimeters) on Tongatapu to 100 inches (250 centimeters) on some northern islands. Most rain falls from December through March. Cyclones sometimes hit Tonga during the rainy season.
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Economy.
Fertile soils and a warm climate have made agriculture the basis of the Tongan economy. About one-fourth of the workers are farmers. The government owns all the land. Every male who is 16 or over is entitled to a plot of land, which he rents from the government. The government has helped establish small-scale manufacturing, especially in Nuku’alofa. Foreign aid and remittances (money sent home) from Tongans living abroad are important to the economy. Tourism is also becoming important to the economy.
Tonga’s crops include bananas, coconuts, squash, vanilla, and yams. Farmers also raise cattle and hogs. Fish and vegetables and other agricultural products are the chief exports. Tonga’s leading imports include machinery, meat, petroleum products, and transportation equipment. The country’s chief trading partners include Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. Tonga imports much more than it exports.
Shipping services operate among the many islands. Neiafu and Nuku’alofa are Tonga’s chief ports. Fua’amotu on Tongatapu has an international airport. Tonga has no railroads. Radio and television stations and newspapers operate under both private and state ownership.
History.
The first people to settle in Tonga were Polynesians who probably came from the Samoa Islands. Although much of Tonga’s early history is based on myths, records of Tongan rulers go back to the A.D. 900’s. The early rulers held the hereditary title of Tu’i Tonga. The people believed the Tu’i Tonga were sacred representatives of the Tongan gods. About 1470, the ruling Tu’i Tonga gave some governing powers to a nonsacred leader. Through the years, the Tu’i Tonga became only a figurehead. By 1865, after the death of the last Tu’i Tonga, the nonsacred king held all the ruling power.
Two Dutch navigators, Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire, became the first Europeans to visit Tonga. They landed on some of the northern islands in 1616. In 1643, Abel Tasman, a Dutch sea captain, visited Tongatapu and other southern islands.
Methodist missionaries from the United Kingdom settled in Tonga during the early 1800’s and converted most of the people to Christianity. But civil war spread throughout Tonga. One of the most powerful chiefs, Taufa’ahau, united the islands in 1845. He was crowned King George Tupou I, the first monarch of Tonga. Tupou I developed legal codes that became the basis of the Tongan Constitution, which was adopted in 1875.
After Tupou I died in 1893, his great-grandson took the throne as King George Tupou II. Tonga became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in 1900. Tupou II died in 1918 and was succeeded by his daughter, who took the name Queen Salote Tupou III. She worked to improve education and health in Tonga. After she died in 1965, her son succeeded her as King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.
In 1970, Tonga gained independence from the United Kingdom. Since independence, Tonga—with British aid—has worked to modernize its agriculture and build wharves and airstrips. It has also encouraged foreign investment. Through these efforts, the government hopes to vary the economy and provide more jobs for Tonga’s growing population.
In 2006, Tupou IV died. His son succeeded him and took the name King George Tupou V. After the death of Tupou IV, a government committee recommended that the Legislative Assembly be elected rather than appointed by the king. Tonga’s government then passed legislation to increase the people’s number of representatives in parliament. In November 2010, the country held its first democratic elections. Tupou V died in March 2012. He was succeeded by his brother, who took the name King Tupou VI.
On Jan. 15, 2022, a massive underwater eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Nuku’alofa produced a tsunami that destroyed many homes and crops in Tonga. Falling ash also damaged crops and contaminated sources of fresh water across the islands.
