Tonga Country Facts
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific
Affairs
October
2007
Background Note:
Tonga
Tonga flag is
red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper
hoist-side
corner.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Kingdom of
Tonga
Geography
Area: 747 sq. km. (288 sq.
mi.).
Cities: Capital--Nuku'alofa (pop.
34,000).
Terrain: 171 islands, mainly raised coral but some volcanic; 48
inhabited. Climate: Tropical, modified by trade winds.
Warm season (December to May), cool season (May to
December).
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--Tongan(s).
Population (2006 census):
101,169.
Age structure: 37.1% below 14; 4.2% over
65.
Annual growth rate (2002 est.):
1.94%.
Ethnic groups: Tongan 98%, other Polynesian,
European.
Religions:
Christian.
Languages: Tongan,
English.
Education: Literacy
(2004)--98.9%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2004 est.)--20.4/1,000. Life
expectancy at birth--68.56 yrs.: female--72.14
years; male--67.05
years.
Work force (2003) 36,500:
Agriculture--65%.
Unemployment (2003):
5.2%.
Government
Type: Constitutional hereditary
monarchy.
Constitution: 1875 (revised
1970).
Independence: June 4,
1970.
Branches: Executive--monarch, prime minister, and
cabinet.
Legislative--unicameral Legislative Assembly. Judicial--Court of
Appeals (Privy Council), Supreme Court, Land
Court, Magistrates'
Court.
Administrative subdivisions: Three main island groups--Ha'apai,
Tongatapu,
Vava'u.
Political parties: People's Democratic Party, Friendly Islands Human
Rights and Democratic
Movement.
Suffrage: Universal at age
21.
Central government budget (2006/2007 est.): $85
million.
Economy (all figures in U.S.
dollars)
GDP (2003/2004): $148.9
million.
Per capita GDP (2004 est.):
$1,287.
GDP real growth rate (2004/2005 est.):
2.3%.
Natural resources:
Fish.
Agriculture (30% of GDP): Products--squash, vanilla beans, root
crops, fish, other marine
products.
Industry: 10% of
GNP.
Services: 60% of
GDP.
Trade (2005): Exports--$24.65 million; squash, fish, vanilla beans,
root crops. Major export markets--Japan, New
Zealand, U.S., Australia, Fiji.
Imports--$136.80 million; food, machinery and transport equipment,
fuels, chemicals. Major import sources--New
Zealand, Australia, Fiji, U.S.,
Indonesia.
Fiscal year: July 1 to June
30.
GEOGRAPHY
Tonga is an archipelago directly south of Western Samoa. Its 171
islands, 48 of them inhabited, are divided into three main
groups--Vava'u, Ha'apai, and Tongatapu--and cover an
800-kilometer (500 mi.)-long north-south line. The
largest island, Tongatapu, on which the capital city of Nuku'alofa
is located, covers 257
square kilometers (99 sq. mi.). Geologically the Tongan islands
are of two types: most have a limestone base formed from
uplifted coral formations; others consist of
limestone overlaying a volcanic base.
The climate is basically subtropical with a distinct warm
period
(December-April), during which the temperatures rise above 32oC
(90oF), and a cooler period (May-November), with temperatures rarely
rising above 27oC (80o F). The temperature increases from 23oC to 27oC
(74oF to 80oF), and the annual rainfall
is from 170 to 297 centimeters (67-117 in.) as one moves from
Tongatapu in the south to the more northerly islands closer to the
Equator. The mean daily humidity is
80%.
PEOPLE
Tongans, a Polynesian group with a very small mixture of
Melanesian, represent
more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European,
mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders.
There also are about 500 Chinese.
More than two-thirds of the population of the Kingdom of Tonga live
on its main island, Tongatapu. An increasing number of
Tongans have moved into Nuku'alofa,
Tonga's capital and only urban and commercial center,
where increasingly Western and
indigenous Polynesian cultural and living patterns have
blended. For instance, the extended family lifestyle is declining, with
young couples choosing to live on their own. Nonetheless, village
life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout
the country. The Christian faith that has dominated Tongan life
for almost two centuries is still
influential. All commerce and entertainment activities cease on Sunday
from midnight, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be
sacred, forever. However, within the past five years, an
unsuccessful attempt was made in parliament
to amend the Sunday
law.
Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in
state schools. The state owns and
operates 99% of the primary schools and 44% of secondary
schools. Higher education includes teacher training, nursing and
medical training, a small private university, a women's business
college, and a number of private agricultural schools. Most higher
education is pursued
overseas.
HISTORY
The word Tonga means "south" in numerous Polynesian languages. Some
scholars believe the inhabitants originally came from the islands now
known as Samoa. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Tonga
islands have been settled since at least 500 B.C., and
local traditions have carefully preserved the names of
the Tongan sovereigns for about 1,000 years. The power of the Tongan
monarchy reached its height in the 13th century. At the time,
chieftains exercised political influence as
far away as
Samoa.
During the 14th century, the King of Tonga delegated much of his
temporal power to a brother while retaining the
spiritual authority. Sometime later, this process was repeated
by the second royal line, thus resulting in three distinct
lines: the Tu'i Tonga with spiritual authority, which is believed to
have extended over much of Polynesia; the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua; and the
Tu'i Kanokupolu. The latter two had temporal
authority for carrying out much of the day-to-day
administration of the
kingdom.
Dutch navigators in 1616 were the first Europeans to sight the
Tongan archipelago. The
main island of Tongatapu was first visited by the Dutch
explorer Abel Tasman in 1643. Continual contact with Europeans,
however, did not begin until more than 125 years later. Captain James
Cook visited the islands in 1773 and 1777 and gave
the archipelago the name "the Friendly
Islands" because of the gentle nature of the people he encountered. He,
of course, was never aware of the acrimonious debate that
raged among contending nobles over who should have the honor of
attacking Cook's tiny fleet and killing its
sailors. In 1789, the famous mutiny on the British ship, Bounty, took
place in the waters between the Ha'apai and Nomuka island
groups.
Shortly after Captain Cook's last visit, warfare broke out in the
islands as the three lines of kings contended for dominance. At about
the same time, young Tongan nobles serving as
mercenaries took Tongan culture to Fiji's most eastern island group,
the Laus. The first missionaries, attached to the
London Missionary Society, arrived in Tonga in 1747. A second
missionary group followed in 1822, led by
Walter Lawry of the Wesleyan Missionary
Society. They converted Taufa'ahau, one of the claimants to the
Tu'i Kanokupolu line,
and Christianity began to spread throughout the islands.
At the time of his conversion, Taufa'ahau took the name of Siaosi
(George) and his consort assumed the name Salote
(Charlotte) in honor of King George III and Queen Charlotte of
England. In the following years, he united all of the Tongan islands
for the first time in recorded history. In 1845, he was
formally proclaimed King George Tupou I, and the present dynasty was
founded. He established a constitution and a parliamentary government
based, in some respects, on the British model. In 1862, he
abolished the existing system of semi-serfdom and established an
entirely alien system of land tenure. Under this system every
male Tongan, upon reaching the age of 16, was entitled to
rent--for life and at a nominal fee--a plot of bushland (called
"api tukuhau") of
8.25 acres, plus a village allotment of about three-eights of an acre
for his home ('api
kolo).
Tonga concluded a treaty of friendship and protection with the United
Kingdom in 1900 and came under British protection. It retained its
independence and autonomy, while the United Kingdom agreed to
handle its foreign affairs and protect it from external
attack.
During World War II, in close collaboration with New Zealand, Tonga
formed a local defense force of about 2,000 troops that saw action in
the Solomon Islands. In addition, New Zealand
and U.S. troops were stationed
on Tongatapu,
which became a staging point for
shipping.
A new treaty of friendship and protection with the United Kingdom,
signed in 1958 and ratified in May 1959, provided for a British
Commissioner and consul in Tonga who were responsible to the Governor
of Fiji in his capacity as British Chief
Commissioner for Tonga. In mid-1965 the British Commissioner
and consul became directly responsible to the U.K. Secretary of State
for Colonial Affairs. Tonga became fully
independent on June 4, 1970, an event officially
designated by the King as Tonga's "reentry into the community of
nations."
King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV died in September 2006 and was succeeded by
King Siaosi Tupou
V.
GOVERNMENT
Tonga is the South Pacific's last Polynesian kingdom. Its executive
branch includes the prime minister and the cabinet, which
becomes the Privy Council when presided over by the monarch. In
intervals between legislative sessions, the Privy Council makes
ordinances, which become law if confirmed by the
legislature. The unicameral Legislative Assembly is controlled by the
royal family and nobles. It consists of nine nobles who are
elected by the 33 hereditary nobles of
Tonga and nine people's representatives elected by
universal adult suffrage for 3-year terms. The cabinet includes 12
ministers, appointed by the monarch, currently including two from the
nine selected nobles' representatives and two
from the nine elected
people's
representatives. The governors of Ha'apai and Vava'u are appointed to
their offices and serve as ex officio members of the cabinet.
The Legislative Assembly sits for 4 or
5 months a
year.
Tonga's court system consists of the Court of Appeal (Privy Council),
the Supreme Court, the Magistrates' Court, and the
Land Court. Judges are
appointed by the
monarch.
The only form of local government is through town and district
officials who have been popularly elected since 1965. The town
official represents the central government in
the villages; the district official has authority over a group of
villages.
Principal Government
Officials
Monarch--King Siaosi Tupou
V
Prime Minister--Feleti Vaka'uta
Sevele
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Sonatane 'Tu'akinamolahi
Taumoepeau-Tupou Ambassador to
the United States--Fekitamoeloa
'Utoikamanu
Tonga maintains an embassy at 250 East 51st Street, New York, New
York 10022 (tel: 917-369-1136; fax: 917-369-1024). In addition, Tonga
has a Consulate General in San
Francisco.
POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
For most of the 20th century Tonga was quiet, inward-looking, and
somewhat isolated from developments elsewhere in the
world. The Tongans, as a whole, continue to cling to many of
their old traditions, including a respect for the
nobility. However, an increasingly popular pro-democracy movement
is articulating a rising demand for more
rights for the common people and curbs to the influence of the
nobility. Tonga's complex social structure
is essentially broken into
three tiers: the king, the nobles, and the commoners. Between the
king, nobles, and commoners are matapule, sometimes
called "talking chiefs," who are
allied with the king or a noble, and who may also hold estates.
Obligations and responsibilities among the groups
are reciprocal,
and although the nobility are able to extract favors from people
living on their estates, they likewise must extend favors to their
people. Status and rank play a powerful role in personal
relationships, even within
families.
Tongans are beginning to confront the problem of how to preserve
their cultural identity and
traditions in the wake of the increasing impact of
Western technology and culture. Migration and the gradual
monetization of the economy have led to the breakdown of the
traditional extended family. Some of the poor, traditionally cared for
by the extended family, are now being left without visible means of
support. The rapidly increasing population
is already too great to provide
the constitutionally mandated 8.25-acre plot of land or api tukuhau
due each male at age 16. Population density reached 132 persons
per square kilometer in 2002, fueling the growing population shift
from farm and village to urban centers, where traditional societal
and political structures are
undergoing steady change. Increasing educational
opportunities, expanded media penetration and foreign influences via
the country's extensive diaspora have raised
the political awareness of Tonga's commoners and stimulated
dissent against the current system of government. In the past two
decades, calls for political reform have gained wide-ranging
support and
momentum.
Historically, political reform has been slow in the kingdom. In a
departure from this, the late King of Tonga announced in late
2004 that he would henceforth
include people's representatives in the 12-member
appointed cabinet. Following
elections in March 2005, the king appointed two of nine
recently elected people's representatives and two nobles' representatives as
cabinet ministers. In April 2005, Tonga's first official political
party, the People's Democratic Party, was formed, and its candidate
was elected to parliament in special
May by-elections held to fill the two
people's
representational seats vacated by the king's cabinet appointments.
The by-election also resulted in
the election of the first woman to sit in the Tongan
parliament in 24 years. Out of the nine current
people's
representatives, seven are members of Tongan democratic movements and
two are independent. When the princely prime minister resigned from
office in early 2006, People's Representative Feleti Sevele was
appointed as the first commoner
prime minister in modern
times.
In late 2005, in the wake of a nationwide strike by civil servants
and a large pro-democracy demonstration, the
Legislative Assembly established a National
Committee for Political Reform to consult with Tongans at home and
abroad on their ideas about political reforms. The report of the
committee, presented to the Legislative Assembly on October 3,
2006, recommended political
reforms that would have the public elect the majority
in
parliament, with the king choosing the prime minister and cabinet
from parliament's ranks.
Following this, the government proposed its own roadmap for
political reform, in response to which the pro-democracy
People's Committee for
Political Reform, an amalgamation of public servant unions and
associations, business people, and political movements
including
pro-democracy and human rights organizations in Tonga, submitted
another proposal. The People's Committee
called for immediate reforms and organized rallies to back this
call during the Assembly's debate of the issues. On
November 16, 2006, a People's Committee rally deteriorated into
rioting during which hundreds of people
rampaged through the central business sector of Nuku'alofa, smashing
windows, looting and then burning shops
and businesses.
The central business district of Nuku'alofa was left in ruins,
and the government declared a state of emergency to restore law and
order to the capital. The state of emergency was repeatedly extended,
and was still in place in late April
2007.
ECONOMY
Tonga's economy is characterized by a large non-monetary sector and a
heavy dependence on remittances from the more than half of the
country's population that lives abroad, chiefly in Australia, New
Zealand, and the United States. Much of the monetary sector of the
economy is dominated, if not owned, by the royal family and nobles.
This is particularly true of telecommunications and electricity
generation and supply. Many small businesses, particularly in the
retail sector on Tongatapu, are owned by recent Chinese immigrants
who arrived under a
cash-for-passports scheme ended in 1998. Royal-owned and
Chinese businesses were among those targeted in the November 2006
rioting.
The manufacturing sector consists of handicrafts and a few other
very small-scale
industries, which together contribute only about 3% of
GDP. Commercial business activities are
to a large extent dominated by large
trading companies found throughout the South Pacific. In September 1974, the
country's first commercial trading bank, the Bank of Tonga, opened.
Following the destruction of the capital's commercial center in the
November 2006 riots, government,
business, and international donors have combined forces to support the
reconstruction of
Nuku'alofa.
Rural Tongans rely on plantation and subsistence agriculture.
Squash pumpkins,
vanilla beans, and root crops such as cassava and yams, coffee, and
noni are the major cash crops. Pigs and poultry are the major types
of livestock. Horses are kept for
draft purposes, primarily by farmers working their api. More
cattle are being raised, and beef imports are declining.
Fisheries are also a growing export sector, with tuna, beche de mer,
and seaweed being the major marine export
products.
Tonga's development plans emphasize a growing private sector,
upgrading agricultural productivity,
revitalizing the squash and vanilla
bean
industries, developing tourism, and improving the island's communications
and transportation systems. Substantial progress has been made, but
much work remains to be done. A small but growing
construction sector is developing in response to the inflow of aid
monies and remittances from Tongans abroad.
Government, international development agencies, and major donor nations have
together identified a number of promising means to diversity the
Tongan economy. One hope is seen in
fisheries; tests have shown that sufficient
skipjack tuna pass through Tongan waters to support a fishing
industry. Another potential development
activity is exploitation of forests, which
cover 35% of the kingdom's land area. Plantation coconut trees past
their prime bearing years also provide a potential
source of
lumber.
The tourist industry is relatively undeveloped; however, the
government recognizes that tourism can
play a major role in economic development, and efforts
are being made to increase this source of revenue. In February 2007,
an international hotel chain signed an initial agreement to develop a
major resort on Vava'u. An increasing number of international
cruise ships are now visiting Vava'u and
Nuku'alofa.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Tonga maintains cordial relations with most countries and has close
relations with its Pacific neighbors. It is a member of the Pacific
Islands Forum. In 1998, it recognized China and broke relations
with
Taiwan
In 1972, Tonga laid claim to the tide-washed, isolated Minerva Reefs,
some 480 kilometers southwest of Nuku'alofa, to forestall
efforts by a private Anglo-American group to
establish an independent Republic of Minerva on the reefs. The
reefs are regularly patrolled by the Tonga Defense
Services.
DEFENSE
The Tonga Defense Service (TDS) is a 450-person force. The force is
comprised of a headquarters platoon and a light infantry company. A
coastal naval unit of four small patrol boats and amphibious landing
craft operates as a
component of the TDS. The force's mission is to assist in maintenance
of public order, to patrol coastal waters and
fishing zones, and to engage in civic action and national
development projects. The main base of operations is the
capital,
Nuku'alofa.
The TDS is partially supported by defense cooperation agreements with
both Australia and New Zealand, which support the TDS
with small in-country detachments
of military technicians. The United States military
provides training to the TDS and conducts
humanitarian civic action projects in Tonga. In 2002, TDS soldiers
were deployed as part of a multi-national regional
peacekeeping force in the Solomon Islands. In June 2004, the TDS sent
45 troops to Iraq as peacekeepers. In
November 2006, after Nuku'alofa's central business district was
destroyed in riots, the TDS was given emergency powers to maintain
law and order, and to assist the police in their investigations.
U.S.-TONGA
RELATIONS
The United States and Tonga enjoy close cooperation on a range
of
international issues. Officers of the American Embassy in Suva, Fiji,
are concurrently accredited to Tonga and make
periodic visits since the United States has no permanent
consular or diplomatic offices in Tonga. Peace Corps Volunteers teach
and provide technical assistance to Tongans. Tonga has no
embassy in Washington, DC, but has a permanent representative to the
United Nations in New York who also is accredited as ambassador
to the United States. A large
number of Tongans reside in the United States, particularly in
Utah, California, and
Hawaii.
Trade between the U.S. and Tonga is relatively low, but it has seen a
steady increase in recent years. In 2001 U.S. exports to Tonga
totaled $4.8 million, and by 2005 they had increased to $10.78
million. In 2005, the U.S. imports from Tonga totaled $6.45
million.
Principal U.S. Embassy
Officials
Ambassador--Larry M.
Dinger
Deputy Chief of Mission--Ted
Mann
Political/Economic/Commercial Affairs--Brian J.
Siler
Consul--Debra J.
Towry
Management Officer--Ila
Jurisson
The U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji is located at 31 Loftus Street (P.O.
Box 218), Suva (tel. (679) 331-4466, fax (679)
330-2267).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe
trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international
travel, see http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizenstraveling or
residing abroad to register via the State
Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on
security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http:// www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.
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Tonga Country Facts
