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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.

Location

Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Natural Resources

fish, arable land

Population - distribution

122580
English and Tongan 87%, Tongan (official) 10.7%, English (official) 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.03% (2006 est.)
NUKU'ALOFA 25,000 (2014)
Conventional long form
Kingdom of Tonga
Conventional short form
Tonga
Local long form
Pule'anga Fakatu'i 'o Tonga
Local short form
Tonga
constitutional monarchy
Name
Nuku'alofa
Geographic coordinates
21 08 S, 175 12 W
Time difference
UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time
+1hr, begins first Sunday in November; ends second Sunday in January
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Tonga has a small, open island economy and is the last constitutional monarchy among the Pacific Island countries. 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. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. Tonga had 53,800 visitors in 2015. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand.
Inflation
-1.054%
External debt stocks
US$ 173,405,000
Total tax rate (% of commercial profits)
30.1%
Real Interest Rate
7.974%
Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP)
6.984%
Current Account Balance
US$ -32,502,494
Labor Force, Total
43,178
Employment in Agriculture
31.83%
Employment in Industry
30.56%
Employment in Services
37.53%
Unemployment Rate
4.87%
Imports of goods and services
US$ 264,179,207
Exports of goods and services
US$ 76,316,766
Total Merchandise Trade
71.36%
FDI, net inflows
US$ 12,632,019
Commercial Service Exports
US$ 69,893,539
squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, sweet potatoes, cassava, taro and kava
tourism, construction, fishing
Commodities
squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
Partners
Japan 16.1%, US 15.5%, Fiji 12.8%, NZ 12.6%, South Korea 11.1%, Samoa 10.8%, Australia 7.5%, American Samoa 6.8% (2015)
Commodities
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Partners
Fiji 37.6%, NZ 21.2%, China 14.1%, US 6.4%, Australia 4.5% (2015)
Country Risk Rating
Business Climate Rating

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