|
Background: |
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. |
|
Location: |
Oceania, archipelago in the
South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New
Zealand |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
20 00 S, 175 00 W |
|
Map references: |
Oceania |
|
Area: |
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km
water: 30 sq km |
|
Area - comparative: |
four times the size of
Washington, DC |
|
Land boundaries: |
0 km |
|
Coastline: |
419 km |
|
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
|
Climate: |
tropical; modified by trade
winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) |
|
Terrain: |
most islands have limestone
base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying
volcanic base |
|
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific
Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m
|
|
Natural resources: |
fish, fertile soil |
|
Land use: |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 14.67%
other: 65.33% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land: |
NA |
|
Natural hazards: |
cyclones (October to April);
earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou |
|
Environment - current issues: |
deforestation results as more
and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage
to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell
collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations |
|
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed,
but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
Geography - note: |
archipelago of 169 islands (36
inhabited) |
|
Population: |
119,009 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 33.7% (male
20,484/female 19,633)
15-64 years: 62% (male 36,699/female
37,108)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 2,135/female 2,950) (2008
est.) |
|
Median age: |
total: 21.8 years
male: 21.3 years
female: 22.3 years (2008 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate: |
1.669% (2008 est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
21.81 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
5.12 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
NA |
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64
years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72
male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008
est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 11.88
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 70.44
years
male: 67.9 years
female: 73.1 years (2008
est.) |
|
Total fertility rate: |
2.5 children born/woman (2008
est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
NA |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
NA |
|
Nationality: |
noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan |
|
Ethnic groups: |
Polynesian, Europeans |
|
Religions: |
Christian (Free Wesleyan Church
claims over 30,000 adherents) |
|
Languages: |
Tongan, English |
|
Literacy: |
definition: can read and
write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.9%
male: 98.8%
female: 99% (1999 est.) |
|
Country name: |
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga
local
long form: Pule'anga Tonga
local short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands |
|
Government type: |
constitutional monarchy |
|
Capital: |
name: Nuku'alofa
geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W
time
difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time) |
|
Administrative divisions: |
3 island groups; Ha'apai,
Tongatapu, Vava'u |
|
Independence: |
4 June 1970 (from UK
protectorate) |
|
National holiday: |
Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)
|
|
Constitution: |
4 November 1875; revised 1
January 1967 |
|
Legal system: |
based on English common law
|
|
Suffrage: |
21 years of age; universal
|
|
Executive branch: |
chief of state: King
George TUPOU V (since 11 September 2006)
head of government:
Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE (since 11 February 2006); Deputy Prime
Minister Dr. Viliami TANGI (since 16 May 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet
consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; four
appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly,
including two each from the nobles' and peoples' representatives serving
three-year terms
note: there is also a Privy Council that
consists of the monarch, the cabinet, and two governors
elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy
prime minister appointed by the monarch |
|
Legislative branch: |
unicameral Legislative Assembly
or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex
officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine
elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held on 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote -
HRDMT 70%, other 30%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 2 |
|
Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court (judges are
appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (Chief Justice and high court
justices from overseas chosen and approved by Privy Council) |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
People's Democratic Party
[Tesina FUKO] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Human Rights and Democracy
Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's
Association [Finau TUTONE] |
|
International organization participation: |
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU,
ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU
chancery: 250 East 51st
Street, New York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025
FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024
consulate(s) general: San
Francisco |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
the US does not have an embassy
in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga |
|
Flag description: |
red with a bold red cross on a
white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner |
|
Economy - overview: |
Tonga has a small, open, South
Pacific island economy. It has a narrow export base in agricultural goods.
Squash, vanilla beans, and yams are the main crops, and agricultural
exports, including fish, make up two-thirds of total exports. The country
must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The
country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan
communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the
second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The
government is emphasizing the development of the private sector,
especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased
funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic
infrastructure and well-developed social services. High unemployment among
the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, pressures for democratic
reform, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the
government. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$877 million (2006 est.) |
|
GDP (official exchange rate): |
$219 million (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
-3.5% (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$2,200 (2005 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 25%
industry: 17%
services: 57% (FY05/06 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
33,910 (2003) |
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 65%
industry and services: 35% (1997 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate: |
13% (FY03/04 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
24% (FY03/04) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
11.1% (2005 est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $80.48 million
expenditures: $109.8 million (FY07/08) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
squash, coconuts, copra,
bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish |
|
Industries: |
tourism, construction, fishing
|
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
1% (2003 est.) |
|
Electricity - production: |
54 million kWh (2006) |
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption: |
47 million kWh (2006) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
880 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
|
Oil - exports: |
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
|
Oil - imports: |
842.3 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
0 bbl (1 January 2007 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2007) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2007 est.)
|
|
Current account balance: |
-$25.2 million (FY06/07) |
|
Exports: |
$22 million f.o.b. (2006)
|
|
Exports - commodities: |
squash, fish, vanilla beans,
root crops |
|
Exports - partners: |
US 39.7%, Japan 27.8%, NZ 8.2%,
South Korea 7.6% (2006) |
|
Imports: |
$139 million f.o.b. (2006)
|
|
Imports - commodities: |
foodstuffs, machinery and
transport equipment, fuels, chemicals |
|
Imports - partners: |
Fiji 30.3%, NZ 27.7%, US 8.2%,
Australia 7.5%, France 5.7%, UK 4.7% (2006) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$31.75 million (2005) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$40.83 million (yearend,
FY04/05) |
|
Debt - external: |
$80.7 million (2004) |
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Market value of publicly traded shares: |
|
|
Currency (code): |
pa'anga (TOP) |
|
Currency code: |
TOP |
|
Exchange rates: |
pa'anga per US dollar - NA
(2007), 2.0277 (2006), 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003) |
|
Fiscal year: |
1 July - 30 June
|
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
13,700 (2005) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
29,900 (2005) |
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Telephone system: |
general assessment:
competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and
Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of
telecommunications; SCT recently granted authority to develop high-speed
digital service for telephone, Internet, and television
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity
roughly 40 telephones per 100 persons; fully automatic switched network
international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004) |
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
|
|
Radios: |
61,000 (1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations: |
3 (2004) |
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Televisions: |
2,000 (1997) |
|
Internet country code: |
.to |
|
Internet hosts: |
18,653 (2007) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000) |
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Internet users: |
3,100 (2006) |
|
Airports: |
6 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 1
2,438 to
3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 5
1,524 to
2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1
(2007) |
|
Roadways: |
total: 680 km
paved: 184 km
unpaved: 496 km (1999) |
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 14 ships (1000
GRT or over) 58,756 GRT/67,889 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1,
cargo 9, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1,
refrigerated cargo 1
foreign-owned: 3 (Australia 1, Switzerland
1, UK 1) (2007) |
|
Ports and terminals: |
Nuku'alofa |
|
Military branches: |
Tonga Defense Services (TDS):
Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval Force (includes Royal Marines, Air Wing)
(2008) |
|
Military service age and obligation: |
18 years of age (est.); no
conscription (2008) |
|
Manpower available for military service: |
males age 16-49: 32,053
females age 16-49: 30,981 (2008 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 16-49: 25,520
females age 16-49: 26,893 (2008 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually: |
males age 16-49: 1,464
females age 16-49: 1,412 (2008 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.9% (2006 est.)
|
| Transnational Issues |
Tonga |
|
Disputes - international: |
none |
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