Capital: Nuku'alofa
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Introduction Tonga is the only nation in the Pacific not to have been colonised by a Western power. Its dynasty goes back to the 10th century and is one of the longest running in the world. The country still observes Sabbath laws, meaning there is no sport or trade on Sundays, no docking of ships and no airport activity.
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History Archaeologists believe Tonga was first inhabited at least 3,000 years ago but the arrival of the first Polynesians settlers is estimated at around 500 BC. 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. Through the centuries, fighting was incessant between the chiefs of the various islands. The first Europeans to come across the islands were the Dutch navigators Schouten and Lemaire in 1616. Captain Cook, who visited the islands three times, was so enchanted by the hospitality he received that he called them the Friendly Islands (although apparently his hosts were in fact planning his murder). Taufa'ahau, who became chief of Ha'apai in 1820, is credited as being the architect of the modern kingdom of Tonga. Converted to Christianity in 1834, he defeated all his rivals with the help of the missionaries and acquired the three traditional chiefly titles of Tonga. Under the name of King George I he enacted a new constitution that freed the commoners from forced labour for the chiefs and guaranteed for each Tongan a garden plot and a house lot. Under the influence of the Wesleyan missionaries established on the islands in the early 1820s, the king signed treaties guaranteeing his kingdom's independence with the major powers of the time (Britain, France, Germany and the USA), although Britain kept a power of veto over Tonga's foreign affairs. Tonga has long placed importance on maintaining social and political harmony, consensus and tolerance. This has changed slightly in recent years with the emergence of a somewhat more confrontational political atmosphere. Since the end of the 1980s, a group now known as the Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga (HRDMT) has campaigned for a more democratic form of government. Overall though, Tongan society remains conservative, with reverence for the monarchy and strong attachments to the church. Sabbath observance laws are still applied, with no flights in or out of the country, dockings of large vessels, sport or general commercial trading on Sundays (with the exception of bakeries and island/beach resorts). Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV died in September 2006, after ruling the nation for more than 40 years. He was succeeded on the throne by his eldest son, Crown Prince Tupouto'a, to be known as King George Tupou V. On November 16, 2006 riots broke out in the capital, Nuku'alofa. The spark for the rally that turned into a riot was the program of political reform put forward by the new king, which fell short of the pro-democracy movement's expectations. Eight people were killed and about 80 per cent of the buildings in the capital's business district were destroyed in the violence. Government Tonga is a constitutional monarchy. The government consists of the king in Privy Council and Cabinet, the Legislative Assembly and the Judiciary. The Privy Council comprises the members of the cabinet and any others whom the king chooses to appoint. The monarch appoints ministers for life, and they remain in office until retirement age. The parliament - the Legislative Assembly - consists of 23 members, but only nine are elected by the people. The others are either appointed by the king or elected among the nobility. In Tonga, there are no political parties as such, but since the end of the 1980s, a group now known as the the Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga (HRDMT) has campaigned for a more democratic form of government. In 2006, sweeping changes were proposed by the country's cabinet and king, which included a recommendation for an increase in the number of MPs elected democratically by the people, from nine to 14. It was also proposed that two-thirds of the cabinet be drawn from parliament, rather than simply being appointed by the monarch. Following the November 2006 riots in Tonga's capital, the government agreed to new elections in 2008 in which a majority of the parliament will be directly elected by popular vote. Economy Tonga is one of the most fertile nations in the Pacific. Apart from the usual crops of taro, yams, copra and bananas, the kingdom grows vegetables for export, in particular squash pumpkins for the Japanese market, which have become one the main sources of foreign income. The other main agricultural exports are vanilla beans and kava. It imports much more than it exports. Agriculture accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the GDP and agricultural and fish products account for almost all of Tonga's total export earnings. The other main source of revenue is the remittances sent home by the tens of thousands of Tongans who live overseas - mostly in New Zealand, Australia and the USA. Tourism is the third biggest contributor to the economy, contributing 15 per cent to the GDP. Tonga has reasonable basic infrastructure and well-developed social services, particularly education and health. All land belongs to the Crown and the government and estate holders distribute land on behalf of the king. |
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