Compare Tonga (2005) - Pacific Ocean (2008)

Compare Tonga (2005) z Pacific Ocean (2008)

	Tonga (2005)	Pacific Ocean (2008)

Administrative divisions	3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 36.2% (male 20,738/female 19,907) 15-64 years: 59.7% (male 33,226/female 33,853) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,031/female 2,667) (2005 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish	-
Airports	6 (2004 est.)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)	-
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 748 sq km land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km	total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative	four times the size of Washington, DC	about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world
Background	The archipelago of "The Friendly Islands" was united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. It became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga acquired its independence in 1970 and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.	The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.
Birth rate	25.18 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $39.9 million expenditures: $52.4 million, including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY99/00 est.)	-
Capital	Nuku'alofa	-
Climate	tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)	planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December
Coastline	419 km	135,663 km
Constitution	4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967	-
Country name	conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga conventional short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands	-
Death rate	5.35 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Debt - external	$63.4 million (2001)	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga	-
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025 FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 consulate(s) general: San Francisco	-
Disputes - international	none	some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Economic aid - recipient	Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02)	-
Economy - overview	Tonga, a small, open, South Pacific island economy, has 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. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government.	The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings.
Electricity - consumption	23.06 million kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - production	24.79 million kWh (2002)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m	lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m
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	endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea
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	-
Ethnic groups	Polynesian, Europeans about 300	-
Exchange rates	pa'anga per US dollar - 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003), 2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001), 1.7585 (2000)	-
Executive branch	chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965) head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since 3 January 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister James C. COCKER (since NA January 2001) cabinet: cabinet consists of 16 members, 12 appointed by the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly including 2 each from the Nobles and Peoples representatives serving three year terms 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	-
Exports	NA	-
Exports - commodities	squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops	-
Exports - partners	Japan 37.1%, China 18.7%, US 17.7%, Taiwan 8.7%, New Zealand 7.4% (2004)	-
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	-
Flag description	red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 23% industry: 13% services: 64% (2002 est.)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2002 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	1.5% (2002 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	20 00 S, 175 00 W	0 00 N, 160 00 W
Geography - note	archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)	the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean
Highways	total: 680 km paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (1999 est.)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	-
Imports	NA	-
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals	-
Imports - partners	New Zealand 37.1%, Fiji 24.3%, Australia 9.1%, China 8.9%, US 6.3% (2004)	-
Independence	4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)	-
Industrial production growth rate	8.6% (FY98/99)	-
Industries	tourism, fishing	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 12.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	10.3% (2002 est.)	-
International organization participation	ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)	-
Irrigated land	NA	-
Judicial branch	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)	-
Labor force	33,910 (1996)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 65% (1997 est.)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	-
Land use	arable land: 23.61% permanent crops: 43.06% other: 33.33% (2001)	-
Languages	Tongan, English	-
Legal system	based on English law	-
Legislative branch	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 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 2	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 69.53 years male: 67.05 years female: 72.14 years (2005 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English total population: 98.9% male: 98.8% female: 99% (1996 est.)	-
Location	Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand	body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere
Map references	Oceania	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation	-
Merchant marine	total: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 136,977 GRT/200,751 DWT by type: cargo 21, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 7 (Cyprus 1, France 1, Greece 1, Norway 1, Romania 2, United Kingdom 1) (2005)	-
Military branches	Tonga Defense Services: Ground Forces (Royal Marines, Royal Guard), Maritime Force (includes Air Wing)	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	-
National holiday	Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)	-
Nationality	noun: Tongan(s) adjective: Tongan	-
Natural hazards	cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou	surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
Natural resources	fish, fertile soil	oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	there are no political parties	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman]	-
Population	112,422 (July 2005 est.)	-
Population below poverty line	NA	-
Population growth rate	1.98% (2005 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Nuku'alofa	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004)	-
Religions	Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	-
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT recently granted authority to develop high-speed digital service for telephone, Internet, and television domestic: fully automatic switched network international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004)	-
Telephones - main lines in use	11,200 (2002)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	9,000 (2004)	-
Television broadcast stations	3 (2004)	-
Terrain	most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base	surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest
Total fertility rate	3 children born/woman (2005 est.)	-
Transportation - note	-	Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)
Unemployment rate	13.3% (1996 est.)	-

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