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Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. 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. Tonga was first inhabited roughly 2,500 years ago by the Lapita civilization, Polynesian settlers who gradually evolved a distinct and strong ethnic identity, language, and culture as the Tongan people. They quickly established a powerful footing across the South Pacific, and this period of Tong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tupou VI
Tupou VI (ʻAho‘eitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho; born 12 July 1959) is King of Tonga. The youngest child of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, he served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 2000 to 2006. Following his elder brother's accession to the Tongan throne as George Tupou V, he was officially confirmed as the heir presumptive on 27 September 2006, because his brother had no legitimate children. In 2008, he was appointed Tonga's High Commissioner to Australia, and resided in Canberra until the death of George Tupou V on 18 March 2012, when he became King of Tonga, with the regnal name Tupou VI. He was crowned in 2015 by the Reverend D'Arcy Wood. Early life and education ʻAhoʻeitu was born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga on 12 July 1959, as the third son and youngest child of Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa Tungī (later King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV) and Crown Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho (later Queen Halaevalu Mataʻaho). He attended The Leys School in Cambridge from 1973 to 1977, follow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tongan Language
Tongan (English pronunciation: ; ') is an Austronesian language of the Polynesian branch native to the island nation of Tonga. It has around 187,000 speakers. It uses the word order verb–subject–object and uses Latin script. Related languages Tongan is one of the multiple languages in the Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages, along with Hawaiian, Māori, Samoan and Tahitian, for example. Together with Niuean, it forms the Tongic subgroup of Polynesian. Tongan is unusual among Polynesian languages in that it has a so-called ''definitive accent''. As with all Polynesian languages, Tongan has adapted the phonological system of proto-Polynesian. # Tongan has retained the original proto-Polynesian *h, but has merged it with the original *s as . (The found in modern Tongan derives from *t before high front vowels). Most Polynesian languages have lost the original proto-Polynesian glottal stop ; however, it has been retained in Tongan and a few other language ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prime Minister Of Tonga
The prime minister of Tonga (historically referred to as the premier) is the head of government of Tonga. Tonga is a monarchy with the List of monarchs of Tonga, king, currently Tupou VI, former prime minister, as head of state. The current prime minister is ʻAisake Eke, who was elected on 24 December 2024 and appointed on 22 January 2025. Eke was elected with 16 votes. The office of prime minister was established by the Constitution of Tonga, Constitution of 1875, whose article 51 stipulates that the prime minister and other ministers are appointed and dismissed by the king. The prime minister is assisted by the Deputy Prime Minister of Tonga, deputy prime minister. 2000s democratization During the 2000s, the country experienced an increase in democratization. In March 2006, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV appointed Feleti Sevele, a moderate member of the Human Rights and Democracy Movement, as prime minister. Sevele was the first commoner to hold this post since Shirley Wald ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa ( , ) is the Capital city, 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 alternative spelling for the reports of this voyage, but he mentioned the island of Pangaimodoo (Pangaimotu (Tongatapu), Pangaimotu) which was to the east of his anchorage position. Captain Cook also wrote that he travelled by canoes to visit Mooa (Muʻa (Tongatapu), 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 Nu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legislative Assembly Of Tonga
The Legislative Assembly of Tonga () is the unicameral legislature of Tonga. 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 Haʻapai and Vavaʻu, and at least four Cabinet Ministers chosen by the monarch. An increase in the number of nobles from twenty to thirty saw the Assembly grow to 70 members. Amendments in 1914 saw a reduction in the size of the Assembly and annual sittings. The principle of equal representation of nobles and commoners was retained. In April 2010 the Legislative Assembly enacted a package of political reforms, increasing the number of people's representatives from nine to seventeen, with ten seats for Tongatapu, three for Vavaʻu, two for Haʻapai and o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ʻAisake Eke
ʻAisake Valu Eke is a Tongan politician who has served as prime minister of Tonga since 22 January 2025. He also served in the Cabinet as Minister for Finance and National Planning from 2014 to 2017. Education Eke received a degree in economics during the 1980s at the University of the South Pacific. He undertook his doctorate at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, where he was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration for his thesis "An exploratory study on the quality of service in the public sector in Tonga" completed in 2013. Member of Parliament A former Secretary for Finance at the Ministry of Finance, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly at the November 2010 general election as MP for Tongatapu 5. Though close to the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands, and despite having considered running as a party member, he stood as an independent, taking the seat with 24.1% of the vote and a 63-vote margin; Tongatapu 5 was thus the only consti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of Tonga (1900–1970)
The Kingdom of Tonga was a protected state of the United Kingdom from 1900 to 1970, when its protectorate status was removed. History Tonga became a British protected state under a Treaty of Friendship on 18 May 1900, when European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs tried to oust King George Tupou II, and to secure the independence of Tonga amid further German territorial gains in the Pacific. The Treaty of Friendship and protected state status ended in 1970 under arrangements established prior to her death by the third monarch, Queen Sālote. While never directly ruled by the British, Tonga's foreign affairs were conducted through the British consul, giving the United Kingdom veto power over foreign policies and finances of the Kingdom of Tonga. An unspoken agreement of the treaty that was common in British protected states was a new monopoly on Tonga's thriving vanilla industry, and their small deposits of minerals. Tonga was affected by the 1918 flu pandemic, with 1,800 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monarch Of Tonga
This is a list of monarchs of Tonga since 1845, after the Constitution of Tonga established the role of the monarch. The first constitutional monarch of Tonga was George Tupou I. 2008 cession of powers Three days before his coronation on 1 August 2008, George Tupou V announced that he would relinquish most of his powers and be guided by the Prime Minister of Tonga's recommendations on most matters. Budget allocation to monarchy The annual budget allocation to the monarchy is T$ 4,894,900 ( US$2,116,799). Earlier monarchs of Tonga * Tuʻi Tonga, rulers of Tonga from 950 to 9th December, 1865, when the last Tu'i Tonga, HM Sanualio Fatafehi Laufilitonga, died. * Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua, rulers of Tonga from 1470 to 1800. * Tuʻi Kanokupolu, rulers of Tonga from 1500 to the present day. George Tupou I, the first constitutional monarch of Tonga, was the 19th Tuʻi Kanokupolu. Monarchs of Tonga since 1845 Timeline Royal standards File:Royal Standard of Ton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ko E Fasi ʻo E Tuʻi ʻo E ʻOtu Tonga
"" (; alternatively "" when the Tongan monarch is female) is the national anthem of Tonga. The title literally means "song of the king of the Tonga Islands" or "song of the queen of the Tonga Islands" (when the monarch is female) in the Tongan language but is in daily life better known as "", which translates to "National Song". The lyrics of the anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ... were written by Tongan Prince Uelingatoni Ngū Tupoumalohi, with the music by German-born New Zealand composer Carl Gustav Schmitt. It was first used in 1874. Lyrics Music notation The music in Western music notation and the , or Tongan music notation: Notes References External links * *YouTube Ko E Fasi 'O E Tu'i 'O E 'Otu Tonga (The Tune of the King of the Tongan Isle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tongan Paʻanga
The paʻanga is the currency of Tonga. It is controlled by the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (''Pangikē Pule Fakafonua ʻo Tonga'') in Nukuʻalofa. The paʻanga is not convertible and is pegged to a basket of currencies comprising the Australian, New Zealand, and United States dollars and the Japanese yen. The paʻanga is subdivided into 100 ''seniti''. The ISO code is TOP, and the usual abbreviation is T$ (¢ for seniti). In Tonga, the paʻanga is often referred to in English as the dollar, the seniti as the cent and the hau as the union. The unit of hau (1 hau = 100 paʻanga), is not used in everyday life and can be found only on commemorative coins of higher denominations. Etymology ''Paʻanga'' is the Tongan name for '' Entada phaseoloides'', also called the box bean or St. Thomas's bean, a bean-like vine producing large pods with large reddish-brown seeds. The seeds are roundish, up to 5 cm diameter and 1 or 2 cm thick. When strung together they are used as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catholic Church In Tonga
The Catholic Church in Tonga is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of its local bishop in communion with the Bishop of Rome. It is estimated that approximately 16% of the population of the Pacific island Kingdom are Catholic, being 15,767 in 2004. Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi succeeded as Bishop of Tonga in 2008. History Prior to the arrival of European sailors and missionaries, the islands of Tonga practised an animistic Polynesian religion. Responsibility for Oceania was given by the Catholic Church to the Society of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1825; but the territory was judged to be too large, and the western portion was formed into a vicariate Apostolic and given to the Society of Mary in 1836, with Mgr Jean Baptiste Pompallier (1807–1871) appointed vicar Apostolic of Western Oceania. In 1842, the vicariate Apostolic of Central Oceania was created comprising New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. A later subdivision, reduced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tongans
Tongans or Tongan people are a Polynesian ethnic group native to Tonga, a Polynesian archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Tongans represent more than 98% of the inhabitants of Tonga. The rest are European (the majority are British), mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There also are several hundred Chinese. Almost two-thirds of the population live on its main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into the only urban and commercial center, Nukualofa, where European and Indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. Other important Christian denominations include Methodists (Free Wesleya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
