Where is Tonga?
About Tonga
The Land
The People
Life and Death
Health, Energy and the Environment
Education and Work
Travel, Communication and the Media
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Tonga is a group of 169 islands, 39 inhabited, which form a country in Oceania. Together with 2 other countries, Tonga forms a group of islands known as Polynesia.
Tonga is in the Pacific Ocean.
The land is mostly flat.
The geographical coordinates for the centre of Tonga, also known as lines of latitude and longtitude, are:-
Latitude - 20 00S
Longitude - 175 00W
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Check the weather in Nuku'alofa.
This is the time in Nuku'alofa now
The Tongan flag is red with a red cross on a
white recatangle in the top flag pole side.
The capital of Tonga is Nuku'alofa.
Tonga is, at the moment (2018), a constitutional monarchy with a King as head of government and head of state
In elections everyone over the age of 21 can vote.
The currency in Tonga is the Pa'anga. Tonga is a member of the Commonwealth.
English and Tongan are the official languages.
Hear the National Anthem
These are the anthem words
Tonga is, at the moment (2018), a constitutional monarchy with a King as head of government and head of state
In elections everyone over the age of 21 can vote.
The currency in Tonga is the Pa'anga. Tonga is a member of the Commonwealth.
English and Tongan are the official languages.
Hear the National Anthem
These are the anthem words
We have already written our own history of England but are asking schools in Tonga to provide us with a detailed history of
their own country. Check how here.
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The total land area of Tonga is 717 sq kms which is the 9th largest in Oceania.
Tonga has lakes, rivers and canals which total 30 sq kms.
Tonga has no boundaries with other countries
Tonga has a coastline of 419 kms which is the 10th longest in Oceania.
The highest point in Tonga is Kao Volcano at 1,046 metres.
The pie chart below shows how the land is split between agricultural land (crops and pastures), forests and other, which can be towns, villages, desert or frozen waste called tundra.
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The total population of Tonga is 106,479 people, making it the 9th largest country in Oceania by population.
Of this number 53,060 are females and 53,419 are males.
A person from Tonga is called a Tongan.
To be a citizen of Tonga, your father must be a citizen of Tonga. If your parents are not married then your mother must be a citizen of Tonga.
It is not sufficient to be born in Tonga. You have to live in Tonga for 5 years before you can begin to apply for citizenship.
The largest five cities in Tonga, by population are:-
- Nuku'alofa on Tongatapu 22,400 people
- Neiafu on Vava'u 4,320
- Haveluloto on Tongatapu 3,417
- Vaini on Tongatapu 2,976
- Pangai on Ha'apai 1,738
For each country we will give you a diagram showing the population density. This is the average number of people for each square kilometre.
Each little Owlbut is 1 person and
the big yellow rectangle is 1 sq km. After a while you can compare countries and see which ones are the most crowded. Remember it is only an average as
more people live closer together in towns and cities than in villages out in the country.
23.7% of the people live in cities or towns.
Each little Owlbut is 1 person and
the big yellow rectangle is 1 sq km. After a while you can compare countries and see which ones are the most crowded. Remember it is only an average as
more people live closer together in towns and cities than in villages out in the country.
23.7% of the people live in cities or towns.
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The birth rate in Tonga is 22.6 births per 1,000 of population
The death rate in Tonga is 4.9 deaths per 1,000 people.
Check this against the birth rate. If the death rate is higher than the birth rate then
the population will decrease unless immigrants arrive in the country.
There are 11.2 deaths of girls under 1 year per 1,000 of births and 12.0 deaths of boys.
The median age for females is 23.1 and for males is 22.2. The median age is that age which divides the population exactly in half so there are the same number
of people above the median age as below it.
The average age of a woman when she has her first child is 24.9.
The elderly dependency ratio is 10.2. This is the number of elderly people (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64).
The potential support ratio is 9.8. This is the number of working-age people (ages 15-64) per one elderly person (ages 65+). As a population ages, the potential support ratio tends to fall, meaning there are fewer potential workers to support the elderly.
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Tonga spends 5.2% of its total income on health care.
There are 0.56 doctors per 1,000 people.
There are 2.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people.
48.2% of the population are estimated as obese.
99.7% of the urban population and 99.6% of the rural population have drinking water that is either piped into their home or they have access to a public tap, a protected borehole, well, spring or
protected rainwater collection facility.
97.6% of the urban population and 89.0% of the rural population have access to a flushing toilet that is connected to a sewer. a pit latrine (that is a
permanent hole in the ground that is looked after) or a composting toilet.
Tonga releases 0.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels in the process of producing and consuming energy. This puts it as the 12th highest in Oceania.
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We have no figures for the amount Tonga spends of its total income on education.
Children usually start school at age 6 in Tonga. Primary education is for six years until age 12 and secondary education must continue till 14 but can go on to 18/19. This may be followed
by further education at a university or college.
Generally the school year consists of 4 terms and starts at the end of January and finishes in the middle of December. There is usually a 2 week
break at the end of term 1 in April, a 3 week break at the end of term 2 at the start of July and a 1 week break at the end of term 3 at the end of September.
99.4% of females and 99.3% of males are able to read and write by the age of 15.
We have no figures for the number of people aged between 16 and 24 who are not in work.
The total number of people available for work in Tonga is 33,800.
They work in the following sectors.
- Agriculture includes farming, fishing and forestry work
- Industry includes mining, manufacturing, construction and energy workers
- Services is everything else
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There is 1 paved airport in Tonga, which is the equal 10th highest number in Oceania.
There are no railways in Tonga.
There are 680 kilometres of roads in Tonga, which means Tonga is in 9th place for the most kilometres of roads in Oceania.
There are no major national newspapers in Tonga.
There are 80,000 mobile phone users.
10% of the people have a fixed landline.
42,552 people have access to the internet at home via any device (computer or mobile).
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