1.
[syn: Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga, Friendly Islands]
2. the language of the Tongan people of south central Africa (Zambia and Rhodesia);
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Tonga \Ton"ga\, n. (Med.)
A drug useful in neuralgia, derived from a Fijian plant
supposed to be of the aroid genus Epipremnum.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Tonga \Ton"ga\, n. [Hind. t[=a]ng[=a], Skr. tama[.n]gaka.]
A kind of light two-wheeled vehicle, usually for four
persons, drawn by ponies or bullocks. [India]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Tonga
n 1: a monarchy on a Polynesian archipelago in the South
Pacific; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in
1970 [syn: Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga, Friendly Islands]
2: the language of the Tongan people of south central Africa
(Zambia and Rhodesia)
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Tonga
Introduction Tonga
------------------
Background: The archipelago of "The Friendly
Islands" was united into a
Polynesian kingdom in 1845. It
became a constitutional monarchy in
1875 and a British protectorate in
1900. Tonga acquired its
independence in 1970 and became a
member of the Commonwealth of
Nations. It remains the only
monarchy in the Pacific.
Geography Tonga
---------------
Location: Oceania, archipelago in the South
Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of
the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 175 00 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 748 sq km
water: 30 sq km
land: 718 sq km
Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 419 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to
the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
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: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on
Kao Island 1,033 m
Natural resources: fish, fertile soil
Land use: arable land: 23.61%
permanent crops: 43.06%
other: 33.33% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: cyclones (October to April);
earthquakes and volcanic activity on
Fonuafo'ou
Environment - 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
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
Geography - note: archipelago of 169 islands (36
inhabited)
People Tonga
------------
Population: 106,137 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.5% (male 21,374;
female 20,555)
15-64 years: 56.4% (male 29,519;
female 30,322)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,945;
female 2,422) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.85% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 24.08 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5.63 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 13.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.56 years
female: 71.11 years (2002 est.)
male: 66.13 years
Total fertility rate: 3 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan
Ethnic groups: Polynesian, Europeans about 300
Religions: Christian (Free Wesleyan Church
claims over 30,000 adherents)
Languages: Tongan, English
Literacy: definition: can read and write
Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.5%
male: 98.4%
female: 98.7% (1996 est.)
Government Tonga
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of
Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands
Government type: hereditary constitutional monarchy
Capital: Nuku'alofa
Administrative divisions: 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu,
Vava'u
Independence: 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 June (1970)
Constitution: 4 November 1875, revised 1 January
1967
Legal system: based on English law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King Taufa'ahau
TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
note: there is also a Privy Council
that consists of the monarch, the
Cabinet, and two governors
elections: none; the monarch is
hereditary; prime minister and
deputy prime minister appointed for
life by the monarch
cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the
monarch, consists of 12 members
head of government: Prime Minister
Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since
NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime
Minister Tevita TOPOU (since NA
January 2001)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or
Fale Alea (30 seats - 12 reserved
for cabinet ministers sitting ex
officio, nine for nobles selected by
the country's 33 nobles, and nine
elected by popular vote; members
serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 2002
(next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote -
pro-democratic 70%; seats - pro-
democratic 7, traditionalist 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed
by the monarch); Court of Appeal
(consists of the Privy Council with
the addition of the chief justice of
the Supreme Court)
Political parties and leaders: there are no political parties
Political pressure groups and Tonga Human Rights and Democracy
leaders: Movement or THRDM [Akilisi POHIVA,
president]
International organization ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
participation: IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sione
KITE
chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New
York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (917) 369-1136
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024
Diplomatic representation from the the US does not have an embassy in
US: Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is
accredited to Tonga
Flag description: red with a bold red cross on a white
rectangle in the upper hoist-side
corner
Economy Tonga
-------------
Economy - overview: Tonga has a small, open economy with
a narrow export base in agricultural
goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas,
and vanilla beans are the main
crops, and agricultural exports make
up two-thirds of total exports. The
country must import a high
proportion of its food, mainly from
New Zealand. Tourism is the second
largest source of hard currency
earnings following remittances. The
country remains dependent on
external aid and remittances from
Tongan communities overseas to
offset its trade deficit. The
government is emphasizing the
development of the private sector,
especially the encouragement of
investment, and is committing
increased funds for health and
education. Tonga has a reasonable
basic infrastructure and well-
developed social services.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $225
million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,200
(2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 10%
services: 60% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.4% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 33,908 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 13.3% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $39.9 million
expenditures: $52.4 million,
including capital expenditures of
$1.9 million (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: tourism, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: 8.6% (FY98/99)
Electricity - production: 30 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 27.9 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: squash, coconuts, copra, bananas,
vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee,
ginger, black pepper; fish
Exports: $9.3 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: squash, fish, vanilla beans, root
crops
Exports - partners: Japan 50.4%, US 31.6%, NZ 4.1%,
Australia 2.1%, Fiji 1.7% (2000
est.)
Imports: $70 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport
equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners: New Zealand 29.8%, Japan 18.6%,
Australia 12.7%, US 12.7%, Fiji
12.2% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $57.5 million (June 2001)
Economic aid - recipient: Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand
$2.3 million (FY01/02)
Currency: pa'anga (TOP)
Currency code: TOP
Exchange rates: pa'anga per US dollar - 2.1920
(January 2002), 2.1236 (2001),
1.7585 (2000), 1.5991 (1999), 1.4920
(1998), 1.2635 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Tonga
--------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 8,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 302 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
(1996)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios: 61,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (2001)
Televisions: 2,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .to
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Transportation Tonga
--------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 680 km
paved: 184 km
unpaved: 496 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai
Merchant marine: total: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 292,139 GRT/421,221 DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 54,
liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 8,
roll on/roll off 4
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Albania 1, Australia 4,
Austria 1, Bolivia 1, Cyprus 1,
Djibouti 1, Egypt 2, Greece 4,
Lebanon 2, Liberia 2, Marshall
Islands 2, Morocco 1, Norway 1,
Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 1, Sao
Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2,
Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland
3, Syria 5, Ukraine 1, United Arab
Emirates 16, United States 4 (2002
est.)
Airports: 6 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2001)
Military Tonga
--------------
Military branches: Tonga Defense Services (made up of
three operational command components
and two support elements, including
the Royal Marines, Royal Guards,
Maritime Force, a support/logistics
group, and a training group),
Police; note - a new air wing that
will be subordinate to the Ministry
of Defense is being developed
Military expenditures - dollar $NA
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of NA%
GDP:
Transnational Issues Tonga
--------------------------
Disputes - international: none