Map of Tonga | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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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 reference

Area
Rank: 190
Comparative: four times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 419 km

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources: fish fertile soil

Land use

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou

Geography
Note: archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)


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Population: 106,146 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 192
Growth rate: 0.192% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 177
Below poverty line: 24% (FY03/04)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Polynesian Europeans

Languages: Tongan (official) English (official)

Religions: Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.192% (2012 est.)
Rank: 177

Birth rate: 24.7 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 61

Death rate: 4.88 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 190

Net migration rate: -17.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 217

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 126

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 88

Total fertility rate: 3.55 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 48

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.291 physicians/1000 population (2002)

Hospital bed density: 2.44 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 56% (2000)
Rank: 3

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.9% of GDP (2004)
Rank: 106

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital

Administrative divisions: 3 island groups; Ha'apai Tongatapu Vava'u

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)

National holiday: National Day 4 November (1875)

Constitution: 4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967

Legal system: English common law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (26 seats - 9 for nobles elected from among the country's 29 nobles 17 members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

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: Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands [Samuela 'Akilisi POHIVA]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tesina FUKO]; Sustainable Nation-Building Party [Sione FONUA]; Tonga Democratic Labor Party [NA]; Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [NA]

International organization participation: ACP ADB AOSIS C FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC ITU ITUC (NGOs) OPCW PIF Sparteca SPC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the US 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; the cross reflects the deep-rooted Christianity in Tonga; red represents the blood of Christ and his sacrifice; white signifies purity

National symbols: red cross on white field; arms equal length

National anthem

National heritage


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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. 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. Tonga had 39,000 visitors in 2006. 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 moderate inflation pressures for democratic reform and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 211

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 153

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 135

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: squash coconuts copra bananas vanilla beans cocoa coffee ginger black pepper; fish

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2003 est.)
Rank: 138

Labor force: 39,960 (2007)
Rank: 196

Unemployment rate: 13% (FY03/04 est.)
Rank: 133

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 24% (FY03/04)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 0% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 43

Taxes and other revenues: 24.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 131

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 126

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 11.21% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 73

Stock of narrow money: $66.57 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 185

Stock of broad money: $177.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 187

Stock of domestic credit: $173.8 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 183

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$29.8 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 63

Exports: $10.8 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 214
Commodities: squash fish vanilla beans root crops
Partners: Hong Kong 19.9% Japan 14.3% US 10.6% South Korea 10.1% Fiji 8.9% NZ 8.6% Samoa 7.5% Brazil 5.3% American Samoa 4.7% (2011)

Imports: $121.1 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 209
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and transport equipment fuels chemicals
Partners: Fiji 36.7% NZ 24.9% US 10.5% China 7.2% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $143.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 161

Debt external: $113.5 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 189

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 41 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 208
Consumption: 38.13 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 208
Exports: 0 kWh (2010)
Exports rank: 137
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 140
Installed generating capacity: 12,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 199
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 41
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 186
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 203
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 192

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 194
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 191
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 127
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 194

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 198
Products consumption: 1221 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 197
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 134
Products imports: 1202 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 190

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 197
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 198
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 63
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 136
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 197

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 155,000 Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 197

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 30,000 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 176
Mobile cellular: 55,000 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 200

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 2 state-owned TV stations and 2 privately-owned TV stations; satellite and cable TV services are available; 2 state-owned and 3 privately-owned radio stations; Radio Australia broadcasts available satellite (2009)

Internet
Country code: .to
Hosts: 5,367 (2012)
Hosts rank: 144
Users: 8,400 (2009)
Users rank: 203

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Rank: 135

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary enlistment (with parental consent); no conscription; the king retains the right to call up 'all those capable of bearing arms' in wartime (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 6 (2012)
Rank: 172

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 189

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 122

Ports and terminals: Nuku'alofa Neiafu Pangai


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs