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Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa (; ) is the capital and largest city of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group. History First western records of Nukualofa On 10 June 1777, British captain James Cook wrote of his arrival at their anchorage place. His description of the place confirmed, with his map, that this was the bay of Nukualofa. Cook never used the name Nukualofa or any other spelling for the reports of this voyage, but he mentioned the island of Pangaimodoo ( Pangaimotu) which was to the east of his anchorage position. Captain Cook also wrote that he travelled by canoes to visit Mooa ( Mua) where Paulaho and other great men lived. The house that Paulaho provided was on the beach from the ship. Reference to his map shows that he must have landed and stayed in the Siesia area, the eastern part of modern Nukualofa. Cook also drafted the first map of the bay of Nukuʻalofa. The first written record for Nukuʻalofa is stat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai Eruption And Tsunami
On 20 December 2021, an eruption began on Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai, a submarine volcano in the Tongan archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. The eruption reached a very large and powerful climax nearly four weeks later, on 15 January 2022. Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai is north of Tongatapu, the country's main island, and is part of the highly active Tonga–Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand north-northeast to Fiji.Gupta, Alok K. ''Igneous Rocks'' Mumbai, India: Allied Publishers, 1998 The eruption caused tsunamis in Tonga, Fiji, American Samoa, Vanuatu, and along the Pacific rim, including damaging tsunamis in New Zealand, Japan, the United States, the Russian Far East, Chile, and Peru. At least four people were killed, some were injured, and some remain possibly missing in Tonga from tsunami waves up to high. Two people drowned in Peru when a wave struck the coast. Preliminary data indicate that the event was probably the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494, 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately north-south. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest; Samoa to the northeast; New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west; Niue (the nearest foreign territory) to the east; and Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest. Tonga is about from New Zealand's North Island. First inhabited roughly 2,500 years ago by the Lapita civilization, Tonga's Polynesian settlers gradually evolved a distinct and strong ethnic identity, language, and culture as the Tongan people. They were quick to establish a powerful footing acr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the national population, on . Based on Google Earth Pro, its maximum elevation is at least above sea level along Liku Road at 21 degrees 15 minutes and 55.7 seconds south 175 degrees 08 minutes 06.4 seconds west, but could be even higher somewhere else. Tongatapu is Tonga's centre of government and the seat of its monarchy. Tongatapu has experienced more rapid economic development than the other islands of Tonga, and has thus attracted many internal migrants from them. Geography The island is (or including neighbouring islands) and rather flat, as it is built of coral limestone. The island is covered with thick fertile soil consisting of volcanic ash from neighbouring volcanoes. At the steep coast of the south, heights reach an average of , a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Tupou I
George Tupou I (4 December 1797 – 18 February 1893), originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, was the first king of modern Tonga. He adopted the name Siaosi (originally Jiaoji), the Tongan equivalent of ''George'', after King George III of the United Kingdom, when he was baptized in 1831. His nickname was ''Lopa-ukamea'' (or Lopa-ʻaione), meaning ''iron cable''. Biography Birth George Tupou I was born around 1797 in Tonga. 4 December is often-quoted as his birthday and is a public holiday in Tonga; however, it was the date of his coronation in 1845 as Tuʻi Kanokupolu, when he took the name Tupou. Tongoleleka and the Niuʻui hospital there (which was destroyed in the 2006 Tonga earthquake) are often stated as his birthplace; however, no evidence supporting this is available, and Lifuka and Tongatapu are also often stated as the birthplace. His father was Tupouto'aʻ, who aspired to be the 17th Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but he was not recognized as such by the high chiefs of Ton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pangaimotu (Tongatapu)
Pangaimotu is a small island in the Tongatapu group of Tonga, lying near the capital Nukuʻalofa. It is reachable by a 10-minute boat trip from Nukuʻalofa. Aside from the beaches, a centrepiece of the island's attraction is a wreck jumping from the hull of the upturned ship 50 metres off the island's main beach. The island also contains the Big Mama Yacht Club, the Pangaimotu Island Resort and a vanilla plantation. The Pangaimotu reef was declared a national marine reserve in 1989. The first mass in Tonga was held under a tree on Pangaimotu on 2 July 1842. It was conducted by Jean Baptiste Pompallier Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier (11 December 1801 – 21 December 1871) was the first Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand and, with priests and brothers of the Marist order, he organised the Roman Catholic Church throughout the country. ... and Father Chevron. References Islands of Tonga Tongatapu {{Tonga-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Palace, Tonga
The Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Tonga is located in the northwest of the capital, Nukualofa, close to the Pacific Ocean. The wooden Palace, which was built in 1867, is the official residence of the King of Tonga. The palace is not open to the public, and it is easily visible from the waterfront. Overview In line with the deference the Tongans have for the Royal Family, poets almost never refer to the palace (''pālasi'') by name, but use ''heliaki'' or allegoric references like: ''Fanga-tapu'' ("sacred beach", the stretch of shoreline fronting the building), ''Loto-ā'' ("inside the fence"), ''Ā-maka'' ("stone fence"), ''Hangai Tokelau'' ("north wind against", the name of a tree near the kitchen), and so forth. The old, metre-high stone fence was so sacred to the king that none would dare sit on it, let alone cross it. However, after 1990, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV had a 3-metre high grid fence erected. After 2000, some people broke through the gates with trucks, prompti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fīnau ʻUlukālala
Fīnau Ulukālala (Hot Headed) was a dynasty of six important hereditary chiefs from Vavau (the Tui Vavau), currently in the kingdom of Tonga. The dynasty began sometime in the 18th century and died out in 1960. The chief's original estate was Tuanuku, and his nickname and that of the village is Tavakefaiana (a species of tropicbird). Holders of the title I (i Maofanga) Although the first Fīnau (Ulukālala I's grandfather, Mataelehaamea), had been a Tui Kanokupolu (at that time, around 1650, the most powerful royal dynasty of Tongatapu), his father Tuituiohu was only a younger brother of Maafuotuitonga, the next Tui Kanokupolu. As such Tuituiohu tried his luck in Vavau, where he started the dynasty of the Haa Ngatatupu. This first Fīnau died in 1797 in Maufanga, Tongatapu and is therefore also called Fīnau Ulukālala I i Maofanga (the old form of the name of the village). He was succeeded by his eldest son who would die later in Feletoa, Vavau, and as such is sometimes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legislative Assembly Of Tonga
The Legislative Assembly of Tonga ( to, Fale Alea ʻo Tonga) is the unicameral legislature of Tonga. The assembly has 26 members in which 17 members elected by majority of the people for a 5-year term in multi-seat constituencies via the single non-transferable vote system. There are 9 members elected by the 33 hereditary nobles of Tonga. The Assembly is controlled by the speaker of the House who is elected by majority of the elected members of Parliament and constitutionally appointed by the king. History A Legislative Assembly providing for representation of nobles and commoners was established in 1862 by King George Tupou I. This body met every four years and was continued in the 1875 Constitution. Originally the Legislative Assembly consisted of all holders of noble titles, an equal number of people's representatives, the governors for Ha’apai and Vava’u, and at least four Cabinet Ministers chosen by the monarch. An increase in the number of nobles from twenty to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Free Church Of Tonga
The Free Church of Tonga ( Tongan: ''Siasi ʻo Tonga Tauʻatāina'') is a religious denomination of Methodist extraction in the Kingdom of Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in .... The Church was established in 1885 by King George Tupou I and his government at Lifuka, Ha'apai, as a nationalist reaction to attempts at colonising the Friendly Isles (as Tonga was known at the time). In 1924, its membership was enlarged by the admittance of the entirety of the Wesleyan Church of Tonga, whose district synod voted to reconcile with the Free Church. This union was rejected by the former President, Jabez B. Watkin, and a minority who continued under the old banner long after the united Church had reverted to its original name, the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga. The Free Chur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclone Gita
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gita was the most intense tropical cyclone to impact Tonga since reliable records began. The second named storm and first major tropical cyclone of the 2017–18 South Pacific cyclone season, Gita originated from a monsoon trough that was active in the South Pacific in early February 2018. First classified as a tropical disturbance on 3 February, the nascent system meandered near Vanuatu for several days with little development. After acquiring a steady east trajectory near Fiji, it organized into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on 9 February near Samoa. Arcing south in a clockwise turn, the system rapidly intensified, and became a severe tropical cyclone on 10 February near Niue. Throughout its path in the South Pacific, Cyclone Gita affected multiple island nations and territories. Tonga was the hardest-hit, with severe damage occurring on the islands of Tongatapu and ʻEua; two fatalities and forty-one injuries occurred in the kingdom. At least 171& ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tropical Rainforest Climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, USA, and Okinawa, Japan that fall into the tropical rainforest climate category. They experience high mean annual temperatures, small temperature ranges, and rain that falls throughout the year. Regions with this climate are typically designated ''Af'' by the Köppen climate classification. A tropical rainforest climate is typically hot, very humid, and wet. Description Tropical rain forests have a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season—all months have an average precipitation value of at least . There are no distinct wet or dry seasons as rainfall is high throughout the months. One day in a tropical rainforest climate can be very similar to the next, while the change in temperature between day and night ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anticyclone). Cyclones are characterized by inward-spiraling winds that rotate about a zone of low pressure. The largest low-pressure systems are polar vortices and extratropical cyclones of the largest scale (the synoptic scale). Warm-core cyclones such as tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones also lie within the synoptic scale. Mesocyclones, tornadoes, and dust devils lie within smaller mesoscale. Upper level cyclones can exist without the presence of a surface low, and can pinch off from the base of the tropical upper tropospheric trough during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere. Cyclones have also been seen on extraterrestrial planets, such as Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune. Cyclogenesis is the process of cyclone formation and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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