Edition 2003 — Tonga — World Factbook

Administrative divisions

3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u

Age structure

0-14 years: 38.2% (male 21,085; female 20,265) 15-64 years: 57.6% (male 30,785; female 31,532) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,973; female 2,501) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish

Airports

6 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2002) Military Tonga

Area

land: 718 sq km
total: 748 sq km
water: 30 sq km

Area - comparative

four times the size of Washington, DC

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

Birth rate

24.51 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $52.4 million, including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY 99/00 est.)
revenues: $39.9 million

Capital

Nuku'alofa

Climate

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

Coastline

419 km

Constitution

4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands

Currency

pa'anga (TOP)

Currency code

TOP

Death rate

5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$57.5 million (June 2001)

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonatane T. T. TUPOU
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
telephone: [1] (917) 369-1136

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Economic aid - recipient

Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02)

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 reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services.

Electricity - consumption

25.36 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

27.27 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

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 agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate 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

Ethnic groups

Polynesian, Europeans about 300

Exchange rates

pa'anga per US dollar NA (2002), 2.12 (2001), 1.76 (2000), 1.6 (1999), 1.49 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the monarch, consists of 12 members
chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Tevita TOPOU (since NA January 2001)
note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the Cabinet, and two governors

Exports

$8.9 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities

squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops

Exports - partners

Japan 43.2%, US 41.2%, Greece 4% (2002)

FAX

[1] (917) 369-1024

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June Communications Tonga

Flag description

red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner Economy Tonga

GDP

purchasing power parity - $236 million (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 26%
industry: 12%
services: 62% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2001 est.)

Geographic coordinates

20 00 S, 175 00 W

Geography - note

archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) People Tonga

Government type

hereditary constitutional monarchy

Highways

paved: 184 km
total: 680 km
unpaved: 496 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%

Imports

$70 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

New Zealand 30.8%, Fiji 20.7%, US 14.2%, Australia 13.2%, China 6.1% (2002)

Independence

4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)

Industrial production growth rate

8.6% (FY 98/99)

Industries

tourism, fishing

Infant mortality rate

female: 11.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 13.35 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.4% (2001 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, 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)

Internet country code

.to

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2000)

Internet users

1,000 (2000) Transportation Tonga

Irrigated land

NA sq km

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)

Labor force

33,908 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 65% (1997 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 23.61%
other: 33.33% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 43.06%

Languages

Tongan, English

Legal system

based on English law

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)
election results: percent of vote - pro-democratic 70%; seats - pro-democratic 7, traditionalist 2
elections: last held 7 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 71.44 years (2003 est.)
male: 66.43 years
total population: 68.88 years

Literacy

definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
female: 98.7% (1996 est.) Government Tonga
male: 98.4%
total population: 98.5%

Location

Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Median age

female: 20.3 years (2002)
male: 19.3 years
total: 19.8 years

Merchant marine

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, UAE 16, US 4 (2002 est.)
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 44, chemical tanker 4, container 1, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 2, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1
total: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 250,020 GRT/350,055 DWT

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 figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA% Transnational Issues Tonga

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 June (1970)

Nationality

adjective: Tongan
noun: Tongan(s)

Natural hazards

cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou

Natural resources

fish, fertile soil

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

there are no political parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [Akilisi POHIVA, president]

Population

108,141 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

1.9% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios

61,000 (1997)

Railways