Tonga
TONGA
104 team members
Adopt-a-country school: Papaaroa School
Accommodation: Papaaroa School
Dining: Titikaveka Sunday School Hall
Capital: Nukualofa
Land Area:
The kingdom of Tonga is an island 747 km² in size and an independent archipelago in the Southern Pacific Ocean. The capital of Tonga is Nukualofa.
Archaeologists believe Tonga was first inhabited more than 3000 years ago with the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers in approximately 500BC. According to legend, the first ruler of Tonga, the Tu'i Tonga, was the son of the supreme god, Tangaloa, and of a young Tongan girl, Va'epopua.
Tonga is the only nation in the Pacific not to have been colonised by a Western power. Its dynasty, which goes back to the 10th century, is one of the longest reigning dynasties in the world.
The Tongans once ruled much of Polynesia and after the European invasion during the 18th century Tonga retained its powerful monarchy. However, the Christian religion was quickly adopted and today Tongans are amongst the staunchest believers on earth.
The population is about 114,000 and approximately two thirds of Tongans live on the mainland, Tongatapu, and continue to follow the traditions of village life and kinship ways. These Polynesian customs are infused with rituals and beliefs from the Christian faith.
While Tongan is the official languages of Tonga, English is also spoken.
Governance takes the form of a constitutional monarchy in Tonga with King George Tupou V the reigning monarch. Reverence for the kingship is very strong and criticism of the monarch is highly discouraged in Tongan culture.
The monarchy has ensured that the education system is free, that there is universal access to a socialised medical system and that land ownership is reserved for Tongans only.
Tonga is also part of the Commonwealth, which it joined in 1970.
Languages: Tongan, English
Currency: Tongan Pa'aga
