"text":"The first humans arrived in Tonga around 1000 B.C. The islands’ politics were probably highly centralized under the Tu’i Tonga, or Tongan king, by A.D. 950, and by 1200, the Tu’i Tonga had expanded his influence throughout Polynesia and into Melanesia and Micronesia. The Tongan Empire began to decline in the 1300s, descending into civil wars, a military defeat to Samoa, and internal political strife that saw successive leaders assassinated. By the mid-1500s, some Tu’i Tongans were ethnic Samoan and day-to-day administration of Tonga was transferred to a new position occupied by ethnic Tongans.<br><br>Dutch sailors explored the islands in the 1600s and British Captain James COOK visited Tonga three times in the 1770s, naming them the Friendly Islands for the positive reception he thought he received, even though the Tongans he encountered were plotting ways to kill him. In 1799, Tonga fell into a new round of civil wars over succession. Wesleyan missionaries arrived in 1822, quickly converting the population. In the 1830s, a low-ranking chief from Ha’apai began to consolidate control over the islands and won the support of the missionaries by declaring that he would dedicate Tonga to God. The chief soon made alliances with leaders on most of the other islands and was crowned King George TUPOU I in 1845, establishing the only still-extant Polynesian monarchy. TUPOU I declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and his successor, King George TUPOU II, agreed to enter a protectorate agreement with the UK in 1900 after rival Tongan chiefs tried to overthrow him. As a protectorate, Tonga never completely lost its indigenous governance, but it did become more isolated and the social hierarchy became more stratified between a group of nobles and a large class of commoners. Today, about one third of parliamentary seats are reserved for nobles.<br><br>Queen Salote TUPOU III negotiated the end of the protectorate in 1965, which was achieved under King TUPOU IV, who in 1970 withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations. A prodemocracy movement gained steam in the early 2000s, led by future Prime Minister ‘Akilisi POHIVA, and in 2006, riots broke out in Nuku’alofa to protest the lack of progress on prodemocracy legislation. To appease the activists, in 2008, King George TUPOU V announced he was relinquishing most of his powers leading up to parliamentary elections in 2010; he died in 2012 and was succeeded by his brother ‘Aho’eitu TUPOU VI. Tropical Cyclone Gita, the strongest-ever recorded storm to impact Tonga, hit the islands in February 2018 causing extensive damage."
"text":"<p>cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou</p><p><strong>volcanism:</strong> 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</p>"
"text":"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"
"text":"Tongan and English 76.8%, Tongan, English, and other language 10.6%, Tongan only (official) 8.7%, English only (official) 0.7%, other 1.7%, none 2.2% (2016 est.)",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> data represent persons aged 5 and older who can read and write a simple sentence in Tongan, English, or another language"
"text":"Protestant 64.1% (includes Free Wesleyan Church 35%, Free Church of Tonga 11.9%, Church of Tonga 6.8%, Assembly of God 2.3%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.2%, Tokaikolo Christian Church 1.6%, other 4.3%), Church of Jesus Christ 18.6%, Roman Catholic 14.2%, other 2.4%, none 0.5%, unspecified 0.1% (2016 est.)"
"text":"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"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)"
"text":"5 island divisions; 'Eua, Ha'apai, Ongo Niua, Tongatapu, Vava'u"
},
"Independence":{
"text":"4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate status)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"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 crowned; Constitution Day (National Day), 4 November (1875)"
"text":"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 2013"
"text":"has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
},
"Citizenship":{
"citizenship by birth":{
"text":"no"
},
"citizenship by descent only":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"yes"
},
"residency requirement for naturalization":{
"text":"5 years"
}
},
"Suffrage":{
"text":"21 years of age; universal"
},
"Executive branch":{
"chief of state":{
"text":"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"
"text":"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 November 2021 (next to be held in November 2025)"
"text":"unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats statutory, 27 current); 17 people's representatives directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, and 9 indirectly elected by hereditary leaders; members serve 4-year terms)"
"text":"percent of vote - NA; seats by party (elected members) - independents 11, nobles' representatives 9, Democratic Party 3, Peoples Party 3; composition - men 26, women 1, percent of women 3.7%"
"text":"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":{
"text":"judge appointments and tenures made by the King in Privy Council and subject to consent of the Legislative Assembly"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"Supreme Court; Magistrates' Courts; Land Courts"
"text":"Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands or DPFI or PTOA [Semisi SIKA]<br>People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tesina FUKO]<br>Tonga Democratic Labor Party [vacant]<br>Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or HRDM ['Uliti UATA]<br>Tonga People's Party or PAK or TPPI (Paati ʻa e Kakai ʻo Tonga) [Pohiva TU'I'ONETOA] (split from Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands)"
"text":"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"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"red cross on white field, arms equal length; national colors: red, white"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"Ko e fasi `o e tu\"i `o e `Otu Tonga\" (Song of the King of the Tonga Islands)"
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Uelingatoni Ngu TUPOUMALOHI/Karl Gustavus SCHMITT"
"text":"upper middle-income Pacific island economy; enormous diaspora and remittance reliance; key tourism and agricultural sectors; major fish exporter; rapidly growing Chinese infrastructure investments; rising methamphetamine hub"
"text":"Tonga was only connected to the global submarine telecommunication network in the last decade; this system is more stable than other technologies such as satellite and fixed infrastructure (2022)"
"text":"country code - 676; landing point for the Tonga Cable and the TDCE connecting to Fiji and 3 separate Tonga islands; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2020)"
"text":"1 state-owned TV station and 3 privately owned TV stations; satellite and cable TV services are available; 1 state-owned and 5 privately owned radio stations; Radio Australia broadcasts available via satellite (2019)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control"
"text":"His Majesty's Armed Forces Tonga (aka Tonga Defense Services): Joint Force headquarters, Tonga Royal Guard, Land Force (Royal Tongan Marines), Tonga Navy, Training Wing, Air Wing, and Support Unit; Ministry of Police and Fire Services: Tonga Police Force (2023)"
"text":"the Tonga military's inventory includes mostly light weapons and equipment from Australia, European countries (primarily the UK), and the US (2022)"
"text":"the HMAF’s primary missions are protecting the King and Tonga’s sovereignty; the HMAF has also contributed small numbers of personnel to multinational military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Solomon Islands; it is a small force comprised of a royal guard company, a marine battalion, and a few naval patrol boats<br><br>Tonga participated in World War I as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, but the Tonga Defense Force (TDF) was not established until 1939 at the beginning of World War II; in 1943, New Zealand helped train about 2,000 Tongan troops who saw action in the Solomon Islands; the TDF was disbanded at the end of the war, but was reactivated in 1946 as the Tonga Defense Services (TDS); in 2013, the name of the TDS was changed to His Majesty’s Armed Forces of Tonga (HMAF); Tongan troops deployed to Iraq from 2004-2008 and Afghanistan to support UK forces from 2010-2014<br><br>Tonga has a \"shiprider\" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Tonga's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; \"shiprider\" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2023)"
"text":"<p><em>Tonga-Fiji</em>: Fiji does not recognize Tonga’s 1972 claim to the Minerva Reefs and their surrounding waters; the Minerva Reefs’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone includes valuable fishing grounds</p> <p></p>"
"text":"Tier 2 Watch List — Tonga does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; these efforts included providing funding to an NGO to assist trafficking victims; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared to the previous year to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; officials did not identify any victims, develop procedures to do so, or investigate any cases of trafficking; therefore, Tonga remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2022)"
},
"trafficking profile":{
"text":"human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Tonga, as well as Tongans abroad; East Asian women, especially from China, are recruited for legitimate work but charged excessive recruitment fees and are vulnerable to sex trafficking; some Tongan women and children are vulnerable to forced labor in domestic work, and children are vulnerable to sex trafficking; Fijians working in Tonga’s domestic service industry may experience mistreatment indicative of trafficking; Chinese nationals working in construction on government infrastructure projects in Tonga are vulnerable to trafficking; Tongan adults working overseas, including in Australia and New Zealand, are vulnerable to labor trafficking (2022)"
