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NAVIGATION
Kingdom of Tonga
former: Friendly Islands
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands |
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Government type:
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hereditary constitutional monarchy |
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Capital:
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Nuku'alofa |
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Administrative divisions:
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3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u |
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Independence:
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4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 4 June (1970) |
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Constitution:
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4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967 |
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Legal system:
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based on English law |
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the Cabinet, and two governors elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the monarch, consists of 12 members head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Tevita TOPOU (since NA January 2001) |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats - 12 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote - pro-democratic 70%; seats - pro-democratic 7, traditionalist 2 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief justice of the Supreme Court) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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there are no political parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [Akilisi POHIVA, president] |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Sonatane T. T. TUPOU
chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1136 consulate(s) general: San Francisco FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga |
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Flag description:
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red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Tonga has a small, open economy with a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $236 million (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 26%
industry: 12% services: 62% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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8.4% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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33,908 (1996) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 65% (1997 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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13.3% (1996 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $39.9 million
expenditures: $52.4 million, including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY99/00 est.) |
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Industries:
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tourism, fishing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8.6% (FY98/99) |
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Electricity - production:
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27.27 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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25.36 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Agriculture - products:
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squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish |
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Exports:
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$8.9 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 42.3%, US 39.9%, NZ 5.5%, Australia 2.0%, Fiji 1.8% (2001) |
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Imports:
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$70 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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New Zealand 32.6%, Fiji 21.8%, Australia 10.4%, US 7.7%, Japan 4.7% (2001) |
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Debt - external:
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$57.5 million (June 2001) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02) |
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Currency:
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pa'anga (TOP) |
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Currency code:
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TOP |
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Exchange rates:
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pa'anga per US dollar NA (2002), 2.1236 (2001), 1.7585 (2000), 1.5991 (1999), 1.4921 (1998) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June |