📰 Tonga

Tonga,[7] officially known as the Kingdom of Tonga,[9] is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania.1 The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited.[1]2 Its total surface area is about 750 km2, scattered over 700000 km2 in the southern Pacific Ocean. as of 2021 according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494,[10] 70% of whom live on the main island, Tongatapu.3 The country stretches approximately 800 km north-south.4 It is surrounded by Fiji corpus and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa corpus to the northeast, New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu corpus to the west, Niue corpus (the nearest foreign territory) to the east and Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest.5 Tonga is about 1800 km from New Zealand's North Island.6

Tonga was first inhabited roughly 2,500 years ago by people who were a part of the Lapita culture, Polynesian settlers who gradually evolved a distinct and strong ethnic identity, language, and culture as the Tongan people.7 They quickly established a powerful footing across the South Pacific, and this period of Tongan expansionism and colonization is known as the Tuʻi Tonga Empire.8 From the rule of the first Tongan king, ʻAhoʻeitu, Tonga grew into a regional power.9 It was a thalassocracy that conquered and controlled unprecedented swathes of the Pacific, from parts of the Solomon Islands corpus and the whole of New Caledonia and Fiji corpus in the west to Samoa and Niue and even as far as parts of modern-day French Polynesia in the east.10 Tuʻi Tonga became renowned for its economic, ethnic, and cultural influence over the Pacific, which remained strong even after the Samoan revolution of the thirteenth century and Europeans' discovery of the islands in 1616.[11]11

From 1900 to 1970, Tonga had British protected-state status.12 The United Kingdom looked after Tonga's foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship, but Tonga never relinquished its sovereignty to any foreign power.13 In 2010, Tonga took a decisive step away from its traditional absolute monarchy and became a semi-constitutional monarchy, after legislative reforms paved the way for its first partial representative elections.14

Tonga is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Alliance of Small Island States.15

Etymology

In many Polynesian languages, including Tongan, the word tonga (ˈtoŋa),[12][13][14] comes from fakatonga, which means 'southwards', and the archipelago is so named because it is the southernmost group among the island groups of western Polynesia.[15]16 The word tonga is cognate to the Hawaiian word kona meaning 'leeward', which is the origin of the name for the Kona District in Hawaii.[16]17

Tonga became known in the West as the "Friendly Islands" because of the congenial reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773.18 He arrived at the time of the annual ʻinasi festival, which centres on the donation of the First Fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga (the islands' monarch), so he received an invitation to the festivities.19 Ironically, according to the writer William Mariner, the political leaders actually wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but did not go through with it because they could not agree on a plan of action for accomplishing it.[17]20

History

Main article: History of Tonga

According to Tongan mythology, the demigod Maui drew up a group of islands from the ocean, first appearing Tongatapu, the Ha'apai Islands and Vava'u, integrating into what became modern-day Tonga.[18]21

An Austronesian-speaking group linked to what archaeologists call the Lapita culture covered from Island Melanesia to Samoa corpus, and then on to inhabit Tonga sometime between 1500 and 1000 BC.[19]22 Scholars still debate exactly when Tonga was first settled, but thorium dating confirms that settlers had arrived in the earliest known inhabited town, Nukuleka, by 888 BC, ± 8 years.[20]23 Tonga's precontact history was shared via oral history, which was passed down from generation to generation.24

By the 12th century, Tongans and the Tongan monarch, the Tuʻi Tonga, had acquired a reputation across the central Pacific – from Niue corpus, Samoa corpus, Rotuma, Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia to Tikopia, leading some historians to speak of a Tuʻi Tonga Empire having existed during that period.25 Civil wars are known to have occurred in Tonga in the 15th and 17th centuries.26

The Tongan people first encountered Europeans in 1616, when the Dutch vessel Eendracht, captained by Willem Schouten, made a short visit to the islands for the purpose of engaging in trade.27 Later, other Dutch explorers arrived, including Jacob Le Maire (who visited the northern island of Niuatoputapu); and Abel Tasman (who visited Tongatapu and Haʻapai) in 1643.28 Later noteworthy European visitors included James Cook, of the British Royal Navy, in 1773, 1774, and 1777; Spanish Navy explorers Francisco Mourelle de la Rúa in 1781; Alessandro Malaspina in 1793; the first Protestant missionaries in 1797; and a Wesleyan Methodist minister, Reverend Walter Lawry, in 1822.29

Whaling vessels were among the earliest regular Western visitors.30 The first of these on record is the Ann and Hope, which was reported to have been seen among the islands of Tonga in June 1799.[21]31 The last known whaling visitor was the Albatross in 1899.32 That ship arrived in Tonga seeking a resupply of water, food, and wood.33 The islands most regularly visited by Westerners were Ata, 'Eua, Ha'apai, Tongatapu, and Vava'u.34 Sometimes, Tongan men were recruited to serve as crewmen on these vessels.35 The United States Exploring Expedition visited Tonga in 1840.[22]36

In 1845, an ambitious young Tongan warrior, strategist, and orator named Tāufaʻāhau united Tonga into a kingdom.37 He held the chiefly title of Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but had been baptised by Methodist missionaries with the name Siaosi ("George") in 1831.38 In 1875, with the help of missionary Shirley Waldemar Baker, he declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy, formally adopted the Western royal style, emancipated the "serfs", enshrined a code of law, land tenure, and freedom of the press, and limited the power of the chiefs.[23]39

Tonga became a protected state under a Treaty of Friendship with Britain on 18 May 1900, when European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs unsuccessfully tried to oust the man who had succeeded Tāufaʻāhau as king.40 The treaty posted no higher permanent representative on Tonga than a British consul (1901–1970).41 Under British protection, Tonga maintained its sovereignty and remained the only Pacific nation to retain its monarchical government.42 The Tongan monarchy has an uninterrupted succession of hereditary rulers from a single family.[24]43

The 1918 flu pandemic, brought to Tonga by a ship from New Zealand, killed 1,800 Tongans, a mortality rate of about 8%.[25]44

The Treaty of Friendship and Tonga's protection status ended in 1970 under arrangements that had been established by Tonga's Queen Salote Tupou III before her death in 1965.45 Owing to its British ties, Tonga joined the Commonwealth in 1970 (atypically as a country that had its own monarch, rather than having the United Kingdom's monarch, along with Malaysia corpus, Brunei corpus, Lesotho corpus, and Eswatini corpus).46 Tonga became a member of the United Nations in September 1999.[26]47 While exposed to colonial pressures, Tonga has always governed itself, which makes it unique in the Pacific.[27]48

In January 2022, the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano, 65 km north of the main island of Tongatapu, erupted, causing a tsunami which inundated parts of the archipelago, including the capital Nukualofa.49 Comparable to the size of the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, the Hunga volcano produced an atmospheric explosion never before documented in the modern geophysical record (not including man-made explosions).50 The eruption affected the kingdom heavily, cutting off most communications[28] and killing four people in Tonga.[29]51 In Peru corpus, two women drowned due to abnormal tsunami waves.[30]52 It took around five weeks to repair a submarine fiber optic cable used in the Tonga Cable System for internet and telephone connectivity.[31]53

Geography

Main article: Geography of Tonga

Located in Oceania, Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, directly south of Samoa and about two-thirds of the way from Hawaiʻi to New Zealand.54 Its 171 islands, 45 of them inhabited,[1] are divided into three main groups – Vava'u, Ha'apai, and Tongatapu – and cover an 800 km-long north–south line.55

The largest island, Tongatapu, on which the capital city of Nukuʻalofa corpus is located, covers 257 km2.56 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.57

Climate

Tonga has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with a distinct warm period (December–April), during which the temperatures rise above 32 °C, and a cooler period (May–November), with temperatures rarely rising above 27 °C. The temperature and rainfall range from 23 C and 1700 mm on Tongatapu in the south to 27 C and 2970 mm on the more northerly islands closer to the Equator.58

The average wettest period is around March, with on average 263 mm.[32]59 The average daily humidity is 80%.60 The highest temperature recorded in Tonga was 35 C on 11 February 1979 in Vava'u.61 The coldest temperature recorded in Tonga was 8.7 C on 8 September 1994 in Fua'amotu.62 Temperatures of 15 C or lower are usually measured in the dry season and are more frequent in southern Tonga than in the northern islands.[33]63 The tropical cyclone season currently runs from 1 November to 30 April, though tropical cyclones can form and affect Tonga outside of the season.64 According to the WorldRiskReport 2021, Tonga ranks third among the countries with the highest disaster risk worldwide – mainly due to the country's exposure to multiple natural hazards.[34]65

Ecology

Tonga contains the Tongan tropical moist forests terrestrial ecoregion.[35]66

In Tonga, dating back to Tongan legend, flying bats are considered sacred and are the property of the monarchy.67 Thus, they are protected and cannot be harmed or hunted.68 As a result, flying fox bats have thrived in many of the islands of Tonga.[36][37]69

The bird life of Tonga includes a total of 73 species, of which two are endemic, the Tongan whistler and the Tongan megapode.70 Five species have been introduced by humans, and eight are rare or accidental.71 Seven species are globally threatened.72

Politics

Main article: Politics of Tonga

Tonga is a constitutional monarchy.73 It is the only extant indigenous monarchy in the Pacific islands (see also Hawaiʻi).74 Reverence for the monarch replaces that held in earlier centuries for the sacred paramount chief, the Tuʻi Tonga.75 Criticism of the monarch is held to be contrary to Tongan culture and etiquette.76 Tonga provides for its citizens a free and mandatory education for all, secondary education with only nominal fees, and foreign-funded scholarships for postsecondary education.77

The pro-democracy movement in Tonga promotes reforms, including better representation in the Parliament for the majority of commoners, and better accountability in matters of state.78 An overthrow of the monarchy is not part of the movement, and the institution of monarchy continues to hold popular support, even while reforms are advocated.79 Until recently, the governance issue was generally ignored by the leaders of other countries, but major aid donors and neighbours New Zealand and Australia are now expressing concerns about some Tongan government actions.80

Following the precedents of Queen Sālote and the counsel of numerous international advisors, the government of Tonga under King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV (reigned 1965–2006) monetised the economy, internationalised the medical and education systems, and enabled access by commoners to increasing forms of material wealth (houses, cars, and other commodities), education, and overseas travel.81

Male homosexuality is illegal in Tonga,[38] with a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment,[39] but the law is not enforced.[40]82 Tongans have universal access to a national health care system.83 The Constitution of Tonga protects land ownership; land cannot be sold to foreigners (although it may be leased).[41]84

Political culture

King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV and his government made some problematic economic decisions and were accused by democracy activists, including former prime minister ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, of wasting millions of dollars on unwise investments.85 The problems have mostly been driven by attempts to increase national revenue through a variety of schemes – considering making Tonga a nuclear waste disposal site (an idea floated by the Crown Prince),[42] and selling Tongan Protected Persons Passports (which eventually forced Tonga to naturalise the purchasers, sparking ethnicity-based concerns within Tonga).[43]86