Kingdom of Tonga

Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga Kingdom of Tonga


Motto Ko e ʻOtua mo Tonga ko hoku tofiʻa God and Tonga are my Inheritance
Anthem Ko e fasi ʻo e tuʻi ʻo e ʻOtu Tonga The Song of the King of the Tongan Islands
Location of Tonga

Capital	Nukuʻalofa

Government	Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy
King
- From 2006	George Tupou V
Prime Minister
- From 2010	Lord Tuʻivakanō

Legislature	Legislative Assembly

History
- June 4, 1970	Indpendence

Commonwealth accession	June 4, 1970

Area	748 km²

Population
- 2010	104,000
Density	139/km²

GDP	2010 (PPP)
- Total	US$ 0.7 billion
- Per capita	US$ 7,060

Currency	Tongan pa'anga

low
v

The Kingdom of Tonga is a constitutional monarchy in Polynesia.

Background

Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.^[1]

Economy

Tonga has a small, open, South Pacific island economy. It has a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, vanilla beans, and yams are the main crops. Agricultural exports, including fish, make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. Tonga had 39,000 visitors in 2006. 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. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government.^[2]