Tonga

• tropical;
• modified by trade winds;
• warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)

• cyclones (October to April);
• earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou volcanism: moderate volcanic activity;
• Fonualei (180 m) has shown frequent activity in recent years, while Niuafo'ou (260 m), which last erupted in 1985, has forced evacuations;
• other historically active volcanoes include Late and Tofua

• deforestation from land being cleared for agriculture and settlement;
• soil exhaustion;
• water pollution due to salinization, sewage, and toxic chemicals from farming activities;
• coral reefs and marine populations threatened

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• the western islands (making up the Tongan Volcanic Arch) are all of volcanic origin;
• the eastern islands are nonvolcanic and are composed of coral limestone and sand

noun:

Tongan(s)

adjective:

Tongan

0-14 years:

33.26% (male 17,979 /female 17,404)

15-24 years:

19.69% (male 10,725 /female 10,223)

25-54 years:

34.69% (male 18,436 /female 18,469)

55-64 years:

5.81% (male 3,098 /female 3,089)

65 years and over:

6.56% (male 3,140 /female 3,835) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

74.2 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

63.9 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

10.2 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

9.8 (2015 est.)

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.84 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Tonga

conventional short form:

Tonga

local long form:

Pule'anga Fakatu'i 'o Tonga

local short form:

Tonga

former:

Friendly Islands

etymology:

"tonga" means "south" in the Tongan language and refers to the country's geographic position in relation to central Polynesia

name:

Nuku'alofa

geographic coordinates:

21 08 S, 175 12 W

time difference:

UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins first Sunday in November; ends second Sunday in January

• Official Birthday of King TUPOU VI, 4 July (1959);
• note - actual birthday of the monarch is 12 July 1959;
• 4 July (2015) is the day the king was crownedConstitution Day (National Day), 4 November (1875)

history:

adopted 4 November 1875 (2018)

amendments:

• proposed by the Legislative Assembly;
• passage requires approval by the Assembly in each of three readings, the unanimous approval of the Privy Council (a high-level advisory body to the monarch), the Cabinet, and assent to by the monarch;
• revised 1988;
• amended many times, last in 2016 (2018)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Tonga; if a child is born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen of Tonga

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

highest courts:

• Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and a number of judges determined by the monarch);
• note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are brought before the King in Privy Council, the monarch's advisory organ that has both judicial and legislative powers

judge selection and term of office:

judge appointments and tenures made by the King in Privy Council and subject to consent of the Legislative Assembly

subordinate courts:

• Supreme Court;
• Magistrates' Courts;
• Land Courts

chief of state:

• King TUPOU VI (since 18 March 2012);
• Heir Apparent Crown Prince Siaosi Manumataogo 'Alaivahamama'o 'Ahoeitu Konstantin Tuku'aho, son of the king (born 17 September 1985);
• note - on 18 March 2012, King George TUPOU V died and his brother, Crown Prince TUPOUTO'A Lavaka, assumed the throne as TUPOU VI

head of government:

Interim Prime Minister 'Akilisi POHIVA (since 30 December 2014); note - King TUPOU VI dissolved the parliament on 26 August 2017

cabinet:

Cabinet nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• prime minister and deputy prime minister indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly and appointed by the monarch;
• election last held on 18 December 2017 (next to be held in November 2021);
• note - King TUPOU VI's dissolution of parliament in August 2017 triggered an early election

election results:

'Akilisi POHIVA (Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands) reelected prime minister by parliament receiving 14 of 26 votes

note: a Privy Council advises the monarch

description:

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (up to 30 seats - currently 28; 17 people's representatives directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 9 indirectly elected by hereditary leaders, and 2 non-elected; members serve 3-year terms)

elections:

last held on 16 November 2017 (next to be held in 2020)

election results:

• percent of vote - NA;
• seats by party - Democratic Party 14, nobles' representatives 9, other 2, independent 3;
• composition - men 27, women 1, percent of women 3.6%

• Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands [Samuela 'Akilisi POHIVA]
• People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tesina FUKO]
• Sustainable Nation-Building Party [Sione FONUA]
• Tonga Democratic Labor Party
• Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mahe'uli'uli Sandhurst TUPOUNIUA (since 17 September 2013)

chancery:

250 E. 51st Street, New York, NY, 10022

telephone:

[1] (917) 369-1025

FAX:

[1] (917) 369-1024

consulate(s) general:

San Francisco

• red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner;
• the cross reflects the deep-rooted Christianity in Tonga, red represents the blood of Christ and his sacrifice, and white signifies purity

name:

"Ko e fasi `o e tu"i `o e `Otu Tonga" (Song of the King of the Tonga Islands)

lyrics/music:

Uelingatoni Ngu TUPOUMALOHI/Karl Gustavus SCHMITT

note: in use since 1875; more commonly known as "Fasi Fakafonua" (National Song)

agriculture:

2,006% (2006 est.)

industry:

27.5% (2006 est.)

services:

2,006% (2006 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

general assessment:

• competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Digicel Tonga Limited is accelerating expansion of telecommunications;
• both parties provide high speed Internet, mobile telephone networks, and international telecom services;
• Digicel also holds a telecommunication license after its acquisition of TonFon (a subsidiary of former Shoreline Communications Tonga);
• submarine cable infrastructure, managed by Tonga Cable Limited, has also been brought to the country by Asian Development Bank and World Bank aid (2016)

domestic:

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity about 85 telephones per 100 persons; fully automatic switched network (2016)

international:

country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2016)

• 1 state-owned TV station and 3 privately owned TV stations;
• satellite and cable TV services are available;
• 1 state-owned and 3 privately owned radio stations;
• Radio Australia broadcasts available via satellite (2015)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

75,416 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

680 km (2011)

paved:

184 km (2011)

unpaved:

496 km (2011)

• 16 years of age for voluntary enlistment (with parental consent);
• no conscription;
• the king retains the right to call up "all those capable of bearing arms" in wartime (2012)