Tonga
|
| Basic Facts |
| 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 |
| Gevernment type | constitutional monarchy |
| Capital |
name: Nuku'alofa
geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner |
| Currency | pa'anga (TOP) |
| Internet country code | .to |
| Ports and terminals | Nuku'alofa |
| Agriculture products | squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish |
| Industries | tourism, fishing |
| Geography |
| Location | Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 20 00 S, 175 00 W |
| Continent | Oceania |
| Area |
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km |
| Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 419 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 |
| Natural resources | fish, fertile soil |
| Natural hazards | cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou |
| People |
| Population | 114,689 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Polynesian, Europeans |
| Religions | Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) |
| Languages | Tongan, English |
