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___ Tonga

Destination Tonga, a virtual travel guide to the Friendly Islands. This page aims to give you a broad overview of Tonga's art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and government.
Beside a country profile with facts and figures, the page contains links to sources which provide you with all the information you need to know about this South Pacific islands kingdom, e.g.: official web sites of Tonga, country guides with travel and tourism information on accommodation, tourist attractions, events and more like weather information, maps, and local news from Tonga.
Tonga Island
Photo: © Tonga Visitors Bureau
  

Kingdom of Tonga

Country Profile



Tonga Flag

Flag of Tonga

Background:
Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean south of Samoa, also known as the Friendly Islands, it comprises 176 islands, 36 of them are inhabited.
Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific since Taufa'ahau (King George) in 1875 declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy, he also gave Tonga its first constitution.
In 1970 the former British protectorate acquired its independence.
Almost two-thirds of Tonga's population live on the main island Tongatapu, on which the capital city Nuku'alofa is located.


related countries: United Kingdom
other Polynesian islands: American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia (Tahiti), Niue, Pitcairn, Samoa, Tuvalu
 

where in the Oceania is the Kingdom of Tonga

Official Name:
Kingdom of Tonga
short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands

ISO Country Code: to

Time:
Local Time = UTC +13h
Actual Time: Sun-Nov-8  12:15

Capital City: Nuku'alofa (pop. 25 000)

Government:
Type: Constitutional Monarchy (since 1875)
Independence: 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)

Geography:
Location: Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, south of Samoa.
Area: total 748 sq. km.
Terrain: Volcanic islands and low raised coral islands surrounding soaring volcanoes.

Climate: Subtropical, slightly cooler and less humid than most tropical areas. From November to April is cyclone season.

People:
Nationality: Tongan(s)
Population: 110 000
Ethnic Groups: Polynesian 98%, Europeans
Religion: Christian
Languages: Tongan, English
Literacy: 98.5%

Natural resources: Fish, fertile soil.

Currency: Tongan Pa'anga (TOP)

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.   

Official Sites of Tonga

Government of the Kingdom of Tonga
Official government web site of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tonga Consulate General in San Francisco


Intergovernmental organisations
Pacific Islands Forum
Inter-governmental organization for the cooperation between the countries of the Pacific Ocean.
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
Intergovernmental organisation of the Pacific islands.

Tonga Maps

Map of Tonga
Political map of Tonga.
Google Earth Google Earth Tonga
Zoomable satellite view of Tonga.
Google Earth Google Earth Nuku'alofa
Zoomable satellite view of Tonga's capital city.

to Map of Polynesia
Map of the countries in Polynesia, the island states in the eastern part of Oceania.
profile Map of Oceania and the Pacific Islands
Reference map of Australia/Oceania.
 

Tonga News

Planet Tonga newswire
Tonga community portal with news and views.
Matangi Tonga
Breaking news from Tonga.
Tonga on the 'NET
Provides also news and information on the islands and peoples of the Kingdom of Tonga.
Taimi 'o Tonga
Times of Tonga Online (in Tongan).
Tonga Star
Tonga news in English and Tongan.

The CocoNET Wireless
Australia based Pacific Islands News and Information.
Pacific Islands Report
Up-to-date news of all the islands of the South Pacific.
 
Visit Tonga Island

Arts & Culture

Pacific Legends and Oral History
Tales and stories of the Pacific.
Polynesian Cultural Center
A portal to Polynesian culture.
 

 

Business & Economy

Tonga Communications Corporation (TCC)

Transportation
Airlines
Airlines Tonga
Airlines Tonga Air Fiji Ltd is a joint venture between Fiji's longest serving domestic carrier, Air Fiji and one of Tonga's leading travel agents, Teta Tours Ltd.
Peau Vava'u
Tonga's Domestic Airline.

Royal Tongan Airlines
Site about the former national carrier Royal Tongan Airlines.
 
 

Destination Tonga - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Tonga: Eua, Ha'apai, Niuas, Tongatapu, Vava'u, Nuku'alofa
Accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, cruising, diving, tours and much more.

Tonga Experience
Tonga tourism and traveler information by the Tonga Visitors Bureau.

Tonga on the 'NET
A Kingdom of Tonga portal.

Marketonga Travel
Travel and accommodation information for the Kingdom of Tonga.

Travel to Tonga, South Pacific islands
Veteran travel writer David Stanley about Tonga.

South Pacific
South Pacific Tourism Organisation
Inter-governmental body for the tourism sector in the South Pacific Islands, find information on: accommodation, activities, online bookings and news.

Travel advice
Travel advice for Tonga
Travel advice for Tonga by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia.

 Books about Travel in Tonga

US books 

Travel Guides Tonga
   Travel Guides Tonga
UK books  Tonga Travel Guides
German books  German Books: Reiseführer Tonga

Education

Atenisi Institute
An institute for critical education in the South Pacific (needs an update).
Tupou College Toloa
Oldest secondary operating College for boys in the Pacific Islands, founded in 1866.

University of the South Pacific
Premier institution of tertiary education in the Pacific region, jointly owned by the governments of twelve island countries, USP is an international centre of excellence for teaching, research and consulting on all aspects of Pacific life.
University of the South Pacific Libraries
The Main Library of the University of the South Pacific based at Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji.
 
 

Environment

Environment: TONGA'S MOUNTAIN OF RUBBISH
Islands Business article about the country's biggest environmental problem.
Matangi Tonga News: Environment
Articles related to Tonga's environment.

South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
The Pacific region's major intergovernmental organisation charged with protecting and managing the environment and natural resources.
 
 

History

Tonga - A Short Pre-History
Gives you an insight of Tonga's history.
 
 

Search

Te Puna Web Directory
Tonga related index by the National Library of New Zealand.

Additional Information on Tonga

BBC News Country Profile: Tonga
Background Notes: Tonga
Governments on the WWW: Tonga
Open Directory Project: Tonga
Wikipedia: Tonga
The World Factbook -- Tonga
 
 

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The Tonga page was last modified on: Friday, 24-Jul-2009 19:07:26 CEST


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