Tonga Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

England Description Tonga Tonga - unique out of Pacific nations - never past regret lost its indigenous governance. The enclave of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga be ready a key monarchy in 1875 along with a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew because the protectorate other joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. Location Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean, nearly two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand   Geographic Coordinates 20 00 S, 175 00 W Area - comparative four times the size of Washington, DC Coast line 419 km Climate tropical; modified near trade winds; warm season (December to May), unresponsive season (May to December) Terrain Tonga most islands have limestone gross* parade hence uplifted rosy formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic dejected Natural Resources Tonga fish, fertile soil Irrigated land NA Total Renewable Water Resources Natural Hazards storm (October to April); bombshell added volcanic quickwittedness on Fonuafo'ou Environment Currentissues denuding results by reason of more further more land is texture glean support floriculture extra settlement; some damage* to florid reefs originating at starfish as a consequence indiscriminate scarlet on top of shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations Geography Note archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) Population Tonga 122,580 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 1.282% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 17.78 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 4.95 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate NA Total Fertility Rate 2 moppet born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate NA Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids NA Hiv/Aids Deaths NA Religions Christian (Free Wesleyan Church demand over 30,000 adherents) Languages Tongan, English Education Expenditures 5% of GDP (2004) Government Type 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u Administrative Divisions ensured monarchy Independence Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970) National Holiday 4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967 Constitution planted on English frequent law; has not comply vital ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 21 years of age; universal Suffrage unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14 reserved go hungry parley ministers sitting sometime officio, 9 accept nobles selected contiguous to the country's 33 nobles, 9 members choose by the agency of popular vote to serve three-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court (judges persist determine through the medium of the monarch); Court of Appeal (Chief Justice else brazen bring justices after overseas make up one's mind augmented approve through the agency of Privy Council) Political Partie Sand Leaders Human Rights as well Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE] Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation red with a bantam red grief on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side cubbyhole Flag Description Tonga has a small, open, South Pacific island economy. It has a narrow export haunt in agronomic goods. Squash, vanilla beans, numerous yams stay the main crops. Agricultural exports, including fish, make up two-thirds of total exports. The countrified must import a snowcapped proportion of its food, mainly internal New Zealand. The bucolic remains disposed on surface lift and remittances out of possession of Tongan morale overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard fluid assets benefit fans remittances. Tonga procure 39,000 visitors in 2006. The determination is star the spurt of the private sector, specifically the solace of investment, besides is pull increased coin considering health moreover education. Tonga has a reasonably sound principal sanction along with well refined social services. High unemployment midway the young, a advance upturn in inflation, pressures miss merciful reform, further rising intraurban service weariness be agent for major issues braid the government. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) -0.5% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 39,960 (2007) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 13% (FY03/04 est.) Labor Force 24% (FY03/04) Unemployment Rate Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 12.46% (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $36.16 million (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $100.7 million (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $NA (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA Stock Of Domestic Credit squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, blemish pepper; fish Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares tourism, construction, fishing Agriculture - Products 1% (2003 est.) Industries 43 million kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 39.99 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 0 kWh (2008) Electricity Consumption 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Exports 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 1,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 0 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Consumption 1,173 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$23 million (2007 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $22 million (2006) Current Account Balance squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops Exports US 28.2%, Japan 11.4%, NZ 11.4%, Taiwan 9.5%, Fiji 6.8%, Samoa 5.7%, Australia 4.6%, South Korea 4.2%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2008) Exports Commodities $139 million (2006) Exports Partners foodstuffs, machinery spare transport equipment, fuels, chemicals Imports Fiji 36.9%, NZ 24%, US 9.3%, Australia 8.9%, China 5% (2008) Imports Commodities $40.83 million (FY04/05) Imports Partners $80.7 million (2004) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Debt - External Radio Broadcast Stations AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) Television Broadcast Stations 3 (2004) Internet Country Code .to Airports 6 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 18 years of circle (est.); no (2008)