Tonga
- King George Tupou I (1875-1893)
- King George Tupou II (1893-1918)
- Queen Salote Tupou III (1918-1965)
- King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (1965-2006)
- King George Tupou V (2006-present)
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Economy
Tonga's economy is characterized by a large non monetary sector and a heavy dependence on remittances from the half of the country's population that lives abroad, chiefly in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The monetary sector of the economy is dominated and largely owned by the royal family and nobles. This is particularly true of the telecommunications and satellite services. Much of small business, particularly retail establishments on Tongatapu, is now dominated by recent Chinese immigrants who arrived under a cash-for-passports scheme that ended in 1998.
The manufacturing sector consists of handicrafts and a few other very small scale industries, all of which contribute only about 3% of GDP. Commercial business activities also are inconspicuous and, to a large extent, are dominated by the same large trading companies found throughout the South Pacific. In September 1974, the country's first commercial trading bank, the Bank of Tonga, opened. There are no Patent Laws in Tonga. [3]
Rural Tongans rely on plantation and subsistence agriculture. Coconuts, vanilla beans, bananas and root crops such as yams, taro and cassava, are the major cash crops. The processing of coconuts into copra and desiccated (dried) coconut was once the only significant industry but deteriorating prices on the world market has brought this once vibrant industry, as everywhere throughout the island nations of the south Pacific, to a complete standstill. Pigs and poultry are the major types of livestock. Horses are kept for draft purposes, primarily by farmers working their 'api 'uta (a plot of bushland). More cattle are being raised, and beef imports are declining. The export of squash to Japan once brought relief to a struggling economy but recently local farmers are increasingly wary of this market due to price fluctuations, not to mention the huge financial risks involved.
Tonga's development plans emphasize a growing private sector, upgrading agricultural productivity, revitalizing the squash and vanilla bean industries, developing tourism, and improving the island's communications and transportation systems. Substantial progress has been made, but much work remains to be done. A small but growing construction sector is developing in response to the inflow of aid monies and remittances from Tongans abroad. It remains to be said that the most significant contributor to Tonga's economy are remittances from Tongans living abroad. In recognition of such a crucial contribution, the present Tongan government has created a new department within the Prime Minister's Office with the sole purpose of catering for the needs of Tongans living abroad. Furthermore, the Tongan Parliament in 2007 amended citizenship laws to allow Tongans especially those living overseas to hold dual citizenship.
Efforts are being made to discover ways to diversify. One hope is seen in fisheries; tests have shown that sufficient skipjack tuna pass through Tongan waters to support a fishing industry. Another potential development activity is exploitation of forests, which cover 35% of the kingdom's land area but are decreasing as land is cleared. Coconut trees past their prime bearing years also provide a potential source of timber.
The tourist industry is relatively undeveloped; however, the government recognizes that tourism can play a major role in economic development, and efforts are being made to increase this source of revenue. Cruise ships often stop in Nukuʻalofa and Vavaʻu.
Vava'u in fact is well known for its whale watching, game fishing, surfing, beaches and the like and is increasingly becoming a major player in the South Pacific tourism market.
Real estate companies have also just started to spring up in Tonga; as such, they were basically unheard of less than a decade ago. These have provided a way of making income for many Tongans as nearly every male Tongan has plots of land that he has never seen and the leasing of this valuable and attractive land allows the Tongan to live in a comfort not experienced before. There are also many Tongans who work as commission agents and earn a living by finding available land parcels and bringing them to local ex-pats or computer savvy Tongans to list on-line. Some of these so-called real estate companies have done more harm than good and one would be wise to be careful when dealing with them, however for the most part acquiring real estate in Tonga is a simple, straight forward and hassle free process.[citation needed]
In 2005 the country became eligible to become a member of the World Trade Organization, however on 25 July 2006 it was announced that Tonga has deferred its membership of the WTO until July next year according to the Tongan Prime Minister, Dr Feleti Sevele.
The delay he said did not mean that Tonga was withdrawing its WTO membership application, but to give Tonga more time to improve its tariff system.
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Demographics
Almost two-thirds of the 112,422 inhabitants of the Kingdom of Tonga live on its main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into the only urban and commercial centre, Nukuʻalofa, where European and indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. The majority of Tongans are Methodists [18] with a significant Catholic minority. By their own church statistics, Mormons claim 48 percent of the population, thereby substantiating their claim that Tonga is the most Mormon nation in the world.[19]
Tongans, Polynesian by ethnicity with a very small mixture of Melanesian, represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European, mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There also are several hundred Chinese.
Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in state schools. Mission schools provide about 8% of the primary and 90% of the secondary level of education. State schools make up for the rest. Higher education includes teacher training, nursing and medical training, a small private university, a women's business college, and a number of private agricultural schools. Most higher education is pursued overseas.
The Tongan language is the official language of the islands, along with English. Tongan is an Austronesian language which is closely related to Wallisian (Uvean), Niuean and other Polynesian languages such as Hawaiian and Samoan.
70% of Tongan women aged 15-85 are obese. Tonga and nearby Nauru have the world’s fattest populations [4].
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Culture and Diaspora
The Tongan archipelago has been inhabited for perhaps 3,000 years, since settlement in late Lapita times. The culture of its inhabitants has surely changed greatly over this long time period. Before the arrival of European explorers in the late 1600s and early 1700s, the Tongans were in frequent contact with their nearest Oceanic neighbors, Fiji and Samoa. In the 1800s, with the arrival of Western traders and missionaries, Tongan culture changed dramatically. Some old beliefs and habits were thrown away, and others adopted. Some accommodations made in the 1800s and early 1900s are now being challenged by changing Western civilization.
Contemporary Tongans often have strong ties to overseas lands. Many Tongans have emigrated to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States to seek employment and a higher standard of living. U.S. cities with significant Tongan American populations include Portland, Oregon; Anchorage, Alaska; San Mateo, California; East Palo Alto, California; Oakland, California; Los Angeles, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Euless, Texas (in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex). Large Tongan communities can also be found in Auckland, New Zealand and in Sydney, Australia. This Tongan diaspora is still closely tied to relatives at home, and a significant portion of Tonga's income derives from remittances to family members (often aged) who prefer to remain in Tonga.
Tongans, therefore, often have to operate in two different contexts, which they often call anga fakatonga, the traditional Tongan way, and anga fakapãlangi, the Western way. A culturally adept Tongan learns both sets of rules and when to switch between them.
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Sport
- See also: Sport in Tonga
Rugby union is the national sport in Tonga, and the national team ('Ikale Tahi or Sea Eagles) has performed quite well on the international stage. Although the national team has not performed as well as neighboring Samoa and Fiji, Tonga has competed at four Rugby World Cups, the first being in 1987. The 2007 Rugby World Cup was its most successful to date, with Tonga winning both of its first two matches, against the USA 25-15 and Samoa 19-15; and came very close to upsetting the eventual winners of the 2007 tournament, the South African Springboks, losing 30-25 in the end. They then lost to England 36-20 in their last pool game to end their hopes of making the knockout stages but were by no means disgraced. In fact, by picking up third place in their pool games behind South Africa and England, Tonga has since been rewarded with automatic qualification for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held in New Zealand.
Its best result prior to 2007 was in 1995 when they won one game beating Ivory Coast 29-11, and 1999 when they won one game beating Italy 28-25 (although with only 14 men they lost heavily to England in 1999, 10-101). Tonga performs the 'Sipi Tau' (war dance) before its matches. Tonga used to compete in the Pacific Tri-Nations against Samoa and Fiji which has now been replaced by the IRB Pacific 6 Nations involving as well Japan, the second string All Blacks (Junior All Blacks) and Wallabies (Australia A) although from 2008 the Junior All Blacks would be replaced by the Maori All Blacks. At club level, there are the Datec Cup Provincial Championship and the Pacific Rugby Cup. Rugby union is governed by the Tonga Rugby Football Union, which is also a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance. Tonga contributes to the Pacific Islanders rugby union team. Jonah Lomu, Viliami (William) 'Ofahengaue and George Smith are all of Tongan descent. Rugby is popular in the nation's schools and students from schools such as Tupou College are regularly offered scholarships from New Zealand, Australia and Japan. It should be added, however, that many players of Tongan descent also make it big in the Australian National Rugby League competition. These include Willy Mason, Brent Kite, Willie Tonga, Anthony Tupou, Antonio Kaufusi, Israel Folau, to name but a few.
Tongan Boxer Paea Wolfgram won the silver medal in the Super Heavyweight division (> 91kg) at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. To date, he remains the only Pacific islander to ever win a medal at the Olympics.
Tongan women are known for being skillful jugglers [5].
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Recent Developments
In July 2006, two members of the Tongan Royal Family, Prince Tu'ipelehake and his wife, were killed along with their driver in San Francisco, when their car was hit by a driver participating in a street race. The driver was convicted of three counts of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in June and sentenced on August 24 2007, to two years in county jail for her participation in the deaths of the prince, princess, and their driver.[20]
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Miscellany
- On either his 1773 or 1777 visit, Captain Cook presented a tortoise to the king. This tortoise, known thereafter as Tuʻi Malila, lived to be either 188 or 192 years old. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest animal (kingdom Animalia) on record.
- The late king of Tonga (Tupou IV) had for some time been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the heaviest monarch in the world.
- Tonga is famous as the location where Fletcher Christian forced William Bligh into an open boat during the mutiny on HMS Bounty (1789). Bligh briefly went ashore at Tofua, which was then heavily populated, in search of water. The Tongans fought Bligh and killed a member of his crew, forcing Bligh back out into the open ocean. Bligh and his small crew eventually made their way to the Dutch East Indies, setting a record for the longest voyage in an open boat (3618 nautical miles / 6701 km).
- In 1972, the military of Tonga took over the territory of the micronation Republic of Minerva, which had created an artificial island on the Minerva reefs. Tonga's claim has since been disputed by neighboring Fiji, as well as by a group claiming to be the "government in exile" of the Principality of Minerva.
- In Wil McCarthy's The Queendom of Sol, a series of science fiction novels, the Queen of Sol is said to be a descendant of the Tongan royal family.
- The Walt Disney film The Other Side of Heaven, is based on the real life story of a young (Mormon) missionary in Tonga, though the film was shot on location in the Cook Islands.
- Tonga has more PhDs per capita than any other country [21].
- The members of the R&B/dance group The Jets, which scored a number of US hits in the 1980s, are originally from Tonga although most of the group were born in the US. They are all children of Maikeli and Vake Wolfgramm, both of whom migrated to the United States in the early 1960's.
- Fictional Summer Heights High character Jonah Takalua is from Tonga, created by Australian comedian Chris Lilley.
- Craig Ferguson commented on The Late Late Show about Tonga's Independence day instead of the end of the Democratic Primary results.[22]
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See also
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References
- ^ Mr Korovulavula - Occasion of the Inaugural Flight Fiji/Tonga/Fiji Reception by Airlines Tonga, Accessed 16 April 2008.
- ^ The sun finally sets on our men in paradise, published on The Daily Telegraph, 21 March 2005.
- ^ Tonga
- ^ Iraq Coalition Troops, published on GlobalSecurity, 18 August 2005
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/10/tonga.king.ap/index.html
- ^ December 1997
- ^ Tonga : In Depth : History | Frommers.com
- ^ The ships that died of shame - smh.com.au
- ^ Tongasat
- ^ Islands Business - No Govt Support Blamed for Airline Collapse
- ^ Articles:Listing Tonga
- ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/10/tonga.king.ap/index.html
- ^ Pacific Journalism Review 1996 Tongan
- ^ Tongan Court Case Over Wrongful Imprisonment Recommences - July 31, 2002
- ^ No resolution in sight in Tonga, published on TVNZ, 30 August 2005
- ^ The king's death as reported on Fijian TV[1]
- ^ Riots
- ^ (cf. Ernst, Manfred/ Winds of Change. Suva: PCC, 1994, p. 146)
- ^ Wakeley, Alan B. "LDS Newsroom" LDS Church Statistical Information: Tonga, May25, 2008 [2]
- ^ Teen sentenced for crash that killed Tongan Royals.
- ^ Islands Business, vol. 32, no. 10, October 2006, p. 10
- ^ youtube.com clip
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External links
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- CIA World Factbook: Tonga
- Matangi Tonga - National magazine
- Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Tonga
- Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources, Kingdom of Tonga
- National Reserve Bank of Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga
- Official Tongan Government Portal
- Open Directory Project - Tonga Open Directory
- Tonga Legislation
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