Tonga:
Geography

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People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	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
Geographic coordinates	20 00 S, 175 00 W
Map references	Oceania
Area	total: 748 sq km land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km
Area - comparative	four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	419 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate	tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
Terrain	most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m
Natural resources	fish, fertile soil
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 14.67% other: 65.33% (2005)
Irrigated land	NA
Natural hazards	cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou
Environment - current issues	deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)