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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.
 116,921 (July 2007 est.)

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 20,624/female 19,779)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 35,551/female 36,052)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,087/female 2,828) (2007 est.)

total: 21.3 years
male: 20.7 years
female: 21.8 years (2007 est.)

1.847% (2007 est.)

23.67 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.986 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.738 male(s)/female
total population: 0.993 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

total: 11.99 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

total population: 70.12 years
male: 67.6 years
female: 72.76 years (2007 est.)

2.75 children born/woman (2007 est.)




noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan

Polynesian, Europeans

Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)

Tongan, English

definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.9%
male: 98.8%
female: 99% (1999 est.) Tonga has a small, open, South Pacific island economy. It has 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. 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. 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.

$178.5 million (2004 est.)

$244 million (2005 est.)

2.4% (2005 est.)

$2,200 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 23%
industry: 27%
services: 50% (FY03/04 est.)

33,910 (2003)

agriculture: 65%
industry and services: 35% (1997 est.)

13% (FY03/04 est.)

24% (FY03/04)

11.1% (2005 est.)

revenues: $56.97 million
expenditures: $83.88 million; including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY04/05)

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

tourism, fishing

1% (2003 est.)

41 million kWh (2004)

38.13 million kWh (2004)

0 kWh (2004)


900 bbl/day (2004 est.)




Current account balance:
-$4.321 million (FY04/05)

$34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops

US 42.5%, Japan 29.7%, NZ 8.8%, Fiji 4.2% (2006)

$122 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Fiji 30.1%, NZ 27.5%, US 8.2%, Australia 7.5%, France 5.7%, UK 4.6% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$40.83 million (yearend, FY04/05)

$80.7 million (2004)

$19.3 million (2004)

pa'anga (TOP)

pa'anga per US dollar - 2.0277 (2006), 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003), 2.1952 (2002)


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