Tonga
Kingdom of Tonga
Capital: Nuku'alofa
History
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.
Geography
Metric Units
| Total Area | 747 sq km |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Border Countries | No data |
| Coastline | 419 km |
| Terrain | most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base |
| Minimum Elevation | 0 m |
| Maximum Elevation | 1,033 m |
| Climate | tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) |
| Natural Resources | fish, fertile soil |
| Arable Land | 21.33% |
| Permanent Crops | 14.67% |
Economy
| Gross Domestic Product | $786 million |
| GDP (per capita) | $7,500 |
| GDP Growth | 1.4% |
| Unemployment Rate | 13% |
| Population in Poverty | 24% |
| GINI Index | No data |
Budget & Debt
| Expenditures | $115.1 million |
| Revenue | $115.1 million |
| Current Account Balance | $-48.1 million |
| External Debt | $118.6 million |
Trade
| Exports | $11.4 million |
| Export Items | squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops |
| Export Partners | Hong Kong 19.9%, Japan 14.3%, US 10.6%, South Korea 10.1%, Fiji 8.9%, NZ 8.6%, Samoa 7.5%, Brazil 5.3%, American Samoa 4.7% (2011) |
| Imports | $124.2 million |
| Import Items | foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals |
| Import Partners | Fiji 36.7%, NZ 24.9%, US 10.5%, China 7.2% (2011) |
People
| Population | 106,322 |
| Population Growth | 0.14% |
| Ethnic Groups | Polynesian, Europeans |
| Religion | Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) |
| Life Expectancy | 75.6 years |
| Infant Mortality | 1.01 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality | 0.8 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
| Electricity Production | 41 million kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 38.13 million kWh |
| From Fossil Fuels | 100% |
| From Nuclear | 0% |
| From Hydroelectric | 0% |
| From Renewable Sources | 0% |
