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Tonga
For other uses, see Tonga (disambiguation).
Pule'anga 'o Tonga
Kingdom of Tonga
Flag of Tonga Coat of arms of Tonga
Flag Coat of arms
Motto
"Ko e ʻOtua mo Tonga ko hoku tofiʻa"
"God and Tonga are my Inheritance"
Anthem
Ko e fasi ʻo e tuʻi ʻo e ʻOtu Tonga
Location of Tonga
Capital
(and largest city)		 Nukuʻalofa
21°08′S, 175°12′W
Official languages Tongan, English
Demonym Tongan
Government Monarchy
 -  King George Tupou V
 -  Prime Minister Dr. Feleti Sevele
Independence
 -  from British protectorate 4 June 1970 
Area
 -  Total 748 km² (186th)
289 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 4
Population
 -  July 2005 estimate 102,000 (194th)
 -  Density 153/km² (67th1)
396/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
 -  Total $817 million (167th)
 -  Per capita $7,984 (76th)
HDI (2004) 0.815 (high) (55th)
Currency Paʻanga (TOP)
Time zone (UTC+13)
 -  Summer (DST)  (UTC+13)
Internet TLD .to
Calling code
1 Based on 2005 figures.

The Kingdom of Tonga (Tongan for "south") is an independent archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. It lies about a third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii, south of Samoa and east of Fiji. The islands are also known as the Friendly Islands, the name given by Captain Cook because of the friendly reception he received. He happened to arrive at the time of ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga and was invited to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but had been unable to agree on a plan.

Tonga is the only monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean. Tonga's former king, Tupou IV, was once the heaviest monarch in the world, weighing in at over 200 kg (440 pounds) in his prime.

Contents

History

  • On either his 1773 or 1777 visit, Captain Cook presented a tortoise to the king. This tortoise, known thereafter as Tuʻi Malila, lived to be either 188 or 192 years old. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest animal (kingdom Animalia) on record.
  • The late king of Tonga (Tupou IV) had for some time been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the heaviest monarch in the world.
  • Tonga is famous as the location where Fletcher Christian forced William Bligh into an open boat during the mutiny on HMS Bounty (1789). Bligh briefly went ashore at Tofua, which was then heavily populated, in search of water. The Tongans fought Bligh and killed a member of his crew, forcing Bligh back out into the open ocean. Bligh and his small crew eventually made their way to the Dutch East Indies, setting a record for the longest voyage in an open boat (3618 nautical miles / 6701 km).
  • In 1972, the military of Tonga took over the territory of the micronation Republic of Minerva, which had created an artificial island on the Minerva reefs. Tonga's claim has since been disputed by neighboring Fiji, as well as by a group claiming to be the "government in exile" of the Principality of Minerva.
  • In Wil McCarthy's The Queendom of Sol, a series of science fiction novels, the Queen of Sol is said to be a descendant of the Tongan royal family.
  • The Walt Disney film The Other Side of Heaven, is based on the real life story of a young (Mormon) missionary in Tonga, though the film was shot on location in the Cook Islands.
    • The members of the R&B/dance group The Jets, which scored a number of US hits in the 1980s, are originally from Tonga. They are all children of Maikeli and Vaké Wolfgramm who both migrated to the United States in the late 1960's.

    See also

    References

    1. ^ The sun finally sets on our men in paradise, published on The Daily Telegraph, 21 March 2005.
    2. ^ Statoids.com, Tonga
    3. ^ Islands Business, vol. 32, no. 10, October 2006, p. 10
    4. ^ Iraq Coalition Troops, published on GlobalSecurity, 18 August 2005
    5. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/10/tonga.king.ap/index.html
    6. ^ http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Tonga/History
    7. ^ http://www.michaelfield.org/tonga3.htm
    8. ^ http://www.frommers.com/destinations/tonga/3039020044.html
    9. ^ http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/13/1041990234408.html
    10. ^ http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:-nmukEsfmNEJ:aupress.au.af.mil/fairchild_papers/Worden_Shaw/worden_shaw.pdf+tonga+satellites+%22geo+orbital+%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=21
    11. ^ [1]
    12. ^ http://www.tobacco.org/articles/country/tonga/
    13. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/10/tonga.king.ap/index.html
    14. ^ http://www.asiapac.org.fj/PJR/issues/next/962tongan.html
    15. ^ http://166.122.164.43/archive/2002/July/07-31-21.htm
    16. ^ No resolution in sight in Tonga, published on TVNZ, 30 August 2005
    17. ^ [2]
    18. ^ The king's death as reported on Fijian TV[3]
    19. ^ Riots
    20. ^ (cf. Ernst, Manfred/ Winds of Change. Suva: PCC, 1994, p. 146)
    21. ^ O'Hehir, Andrew. "The Mormons are coming." Salon, Sept. 20, 2007[4]
    22. ^ Cumorah Project International LDS Database
    23. ^ Teen sentenced for crash that killed Tongan Royals.

    External links

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    (c) All sixteen Commonwealth realms share the same monarch who is represented, except for the U.K., by a Governor-General  · (j) Debatable as to whether the monarch is the true Head of State. · (n) Currently under suspension. · (q) Technically a constitutional monarchy but displays effective properties of an absolute monarchy. (u) Uses the non-monarchical title of President.
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