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Kingdom of Tonga Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga (Tongan) | |
|---|---|
| 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" "Song of the King of the Tongan Islands" | |
.svg) | |
| Capital and largest city | Nukuʻalofa 21°08′S 175°12′W / 21.133°S 175.200°W |
| Official languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2018[1]) |
|
| Religion (2016)[2] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Tongan |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Tupou VI |
| Siaosi Sovaleni | |
| Fatafehi Fakafanua | |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• Independence declared | 4 June 1970 |
| Area | |
• Total | 748 km2 (289 sq mi) (175th) |
• Water (%) | 4.0 |
| Population | |
• 2021 census | 100,209[3] (199th) |
• Density | 139/km2 (360.0/sq mi) (76tha) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $655 million |
• Per capita | $6,496[4] |
| GDP (nominal) | 2019 estimate |
• Total | $493 million |
• Per capita | $4,888[4] |
| Gini (2015) |  37.6[5]medium |
| HDI (2022) |  0.739[6]high (98th) |
| Currency | Paʻanga (TOP) |
| Time zone | UTC+13 |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +676 |
| ISO 3166 code | TO |
| Internet TLD | .to |
| |
Tonga (/ˈtɒŋə/ TONG-ə, /ˈtɒŋɡə/ TONG-gə;[a] Tongan: [ˈtoŋa]), officially the Kingdom of Tonga (Tongan: Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited.[1] Its total surface area is about 750 km2 (290 sq mi), scattered over 700,000 km2 (270,000 sq mi) in the southern Pacific Ocean. As of 2021,[update] according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494,[7][8][9] 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately 800 km (500 mi) north-south. It is surrounded by 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. Tonga is about 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's North Island. Tonga is a member of The Commonwealth.
Tonga was first inhabited roughly 2,500 years ago by the Lapita civilization, Polynesian settlers who gradually evolved a distinct and strong ethnic identity, language, and culture as the Tongan people. They were quick to establish a powerful footing across the South Pacific, and this period of Tongan expansionism and colonization is known as the Tuʻi Tonga Empire. From the rule of the first Tongan king, ʻAhoʻeitu, Tonga grew into a regional power. It was a thalassocracy that conquered and controlled unprecedented swathes of the Pacific, from parts of the Solomon Islands and the whole of New Caledonia and Fiji in the west to Samoa and Niue and even as far as parts of modern-day French Polynesia in the east. Tuʻi Tonga became renowned for its economic, ethnic, and cultural influence over the Pacific, which remained strong even after the Samoan revolution of the 13th century and Europeans' discovery of the islands in 1616.[10]
From 1900 to 1970, Tonga had British protected-state status. The United Kingdom looked after Tonga's foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship, but Tonga never relinquished its sovereignty to any foreign power. In 2010, Tonga took a decisive step away from its traditional absolute monarchy and became a semi-constitutional monarchy, after legislative reforms paved the way for its first partial representative elections.
- ^ a b "The World Factbook: Tonga: Geography". Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "Tonga Religions – Demographics".
- ^ "Tonga's population drops to 100,209". Matangi Tonga. 24 December 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". www.imf.org. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Gini Index coefficient". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Tonga Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ see writings of Ata of Kolovai in "O Tama a Aiga" by Morgan Tuimaleali'ifano; writings by Mahina, also coronation edition of Spasifik Magazine, "The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia," edited by Lal and Fortune, pp. 133–
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