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Tonga (/ ˈ t ɒ ŋ ə / TONG-ə, / ˈ t ɒ ŋ ɡ ə / ⓘ TONG-gə; [a] Tongan:), officially the Kingdom of Tonga (Tongan: Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. [1]
The location of Tonga An enlargeable map of the Kingdom of Tonga. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tonga: . Tonga is a sovereign island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. [1]
The history of Tonga is recorded since the ninth century BC, when seafarers associated with the Lapita diaspora first settled the islands which now make up the Kingdom of Tonga. [1] Along with Fiji and Samoa, the area served as a gateway into the rest of the Pacific region known as Polynesia . [ 2 ]
Tuʻi Tonga, rulers of Tonga from c. 950 to 9th December, 1865, when the last Tu'i Tonga, HM Sanualio Fatafehi Laufilitonga, died. Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua, rulers of Tonga from c. 1470 to c. 1800. Tuʻi Kanokupolu, rulers of Tonga from c. 1500 to the present day. George Tupou I, the first constitutional monarch of Tonga, was the 19th Tuʻi Kanokupolu.
The Most Devoted Royal Household Order of Tonga (Ko e Fakalangilangi Fale 'Alo) Established 2009 in 5 classes: Grand Cross (GCRH), Grand Officer (GORH), Commander (CRH), Officer (ORH), Member (MRH) and 3 Associated Medals (RHM) in gold, silver and bronze [ 8 ]
The name is said to have originated when Moʻungatonga, the 6th Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua (King who governs the daily business of Tonga on behalf of the Tuʻi Tonga or Sacred King of Tonga) sent his youngest son, Ngata (later to be 1st Tuʻi Kanokupolu) as governor to Hihifo (Western side of Tongatapu).
Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukuʻalofa.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 260 square kilometres (100 square miles).
The Kingdom of Tonga was a protected state of the United Kingdom from 1900 to 1970, when its protectorate status was removed. History