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Tonga
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 Center :
20 00 S, 175 00 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -175.68 |
| North | -15.56 |
| East | -173.91 |
| South | -21.46 |
Map references :
Oceania
Area :
| total | 747 | square km |
| land | 717 | square km |
| water | 30 | square km |
Coastline :
419.00 km
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 | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 1 033 | metres |
Natural resources :
| fertile soils | fish |
Land use :
| arable land | 20.00 | % |
| permanent crops | 14.67 | % |
| other | 65.33 | % |
Natural hazards :
| cyclones | earthquakes |
| volcanic activity |
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
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Dumping |
| Marine Life Conservation | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Ship Pollution |
Population :
120 898
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.48 | % |
| Birth rate | 19.84 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.25 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 5.02 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 32.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 62.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 4.30 | % |
Median age :
| total | 22.30 | years |
| male | 21.80 | years |
| female | 22.80 | years |
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 | 0.71 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 11.58 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 70.73 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 68.18 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 73.41 | years |
Languages :
| Tongan | |
| English |
Literacy :
| total population | 98.90 | % |
| male | 98.80 | % |
| female | 99.00 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | TO |
| ISO Numeric | 776 |
| ISO3 | TON |
| FIPS | TN |
| ccTLD | to |
| English | Tonga |
Administrative divisions :
3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u
Capital :
| name | Nuku'alofa |
| geographic coordinates | 21 08 S, 175 12 W |
| time difference | 13.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | ADB |
| AOSIS | C |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | IHO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | OPCW |
| PIF | SPC |
| Sparteca | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1970-06-04
National holiday :
Emancipation Day
1970-06-04
Executive branch :
| King George TUPOU V | Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE |
Legislative branch :
| THRDM | 28.00 | % |
| PDP | 14.00 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 551 900 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 259 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -0.50 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 4 600 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 25.00 | % |
| industry | 17.00 | % |
| services | 57.00 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 31.80 | % |
| industry | 30.60 | % |
| services | 3.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Unemployment rate | 13.00 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 24.00 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.90 | % |
| Current account balance | - 23 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 40 830 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 80 700 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 0.90 | % of GDP |
Budget :
| revenues | 80 480 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 109 800 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | cocoa |
| coconuts | coffee |
| copra | fish |
| ginger | pepper |
| squash | vanilla beans |
Industries :
| construction | fishing |
| tourism |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 43 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 39 990 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 1 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 1 173 | bbl/day |
Value :
22 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 28.20 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 11.40 | % |
| NZ | 11.40 | % |
| Tawian | 9.50 | % |
| Fiji (fj) | 6.80 | % |
| Samoa (ws) | 5.70 | % |
| Australia (au) | 4.60 | % |
| South Korea | 4.20 | % |
| Hong Kong (hk) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| fish | root crops |
| squash | vanilla beans |
Value :
139 000 000 $
Partners :
| Fiji (fj) | 36.90 | % |
| NZ | 24.00 | % |
| United States (us) | 9.30 | % |
| Australia (au) | 8.90 | % |
| China (cn) | 5.00 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | foodstuffs |
| fuels | machinery and transportation equipment |
Currency-code :
TOP
Currency-name :
pa'anga
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 25 500 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 50 500 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 4 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 3 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | to | |
| Internet Hosts | 20 107 | |
| Internet Users | 8 400 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 1 | |
| Roadways - total | 680 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 184 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 496 | km |
Flag
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