Tonga
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- c.1858 - 1862
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- 1862 - 1866
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- Adopted 1866,
Confirmed 4 Nov 1875
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Map
of Tonga |
Hear
National Anthem
"Ko e fasi 'o e tu'i
'o e
'Otu Tonga"
(Song of the King of the
Tonga Islands)
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Text
of National Anthem
Adopted 1874 |
Constitution
(4 Nov 1875) |
Capital:
Nuku'alofa
(Lifuka 1812-45, 1847-51;
Nuku'alofa 1799-1812, 1845-1847)
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Currency:
Pa'anga (TOP);
1921-1966 Tonga Pound (TOS); 1936-1966
Australian Pound (AUP); 1900-1936
British Pound (GBP)
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National
Holiday: 4 Jun (1862)
Emancipation Day
(Independence Day [1970])
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Population:
104,889 (2024)
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GDP: $700.4
million (2022)
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Exports:
$59.9 million (2022)
Imports: $332.7
million (2022)
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Ethnic groups:
Tongan 96.5%, others (European,
Fijian, Samoan, Indian, Chinese, other
Pacific Islander, other Asian, other)
3.5% (2021)
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Total Police
Force: 418 (2012)
Defense Cooperation
Agreements with
Australia and New Zealand
Merchant marine: 29 ships (2023)
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Religions:
Protestant 63.9% (Free Wesleyan Church
34.2%, Free Church of Tonga 11.3%,
Church of Tonga 6.8%, Seventh Day
Adventist 2.5%, Assembly of God 2.5%,
Tokaikolo/Maamafo'ou 1.5%,
Constitutional Church of Tonga 1.2%,
other Protestant 4%), Church of Jesus
Christ 19.7%, Roman Catholic 13.7%,
other 2.1%, none 0.6%, no answer 0.1%
(2021)
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International
Organizations/Treaties: ACP,
ADB, AIIB, AOSIS, APA, APM, BTWC, C,
CWC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, ICSID, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, IRENA, ISA, ITU,
ITUC, NPT, NTBT, OPCW, PC, PIDF, PIF,
UN, UNCLOS, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNFCC, UNFCC-KP, UNFCC-PA, UNIDO,
UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Tonga
Index
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Chronology
....
Tonga settled.
c.950
The first Tui'i Tonga
takes office.
16th
cent.
Tui'i Tonga
delegates political authority to
a
side branch of the royal family styled
as
the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua.
c.1600
Tu'i Ha'atakalaua
further delegates political
authority to the new post of Tu'i
Kanokupolu.
21-24 Apr
1616
Dutch Captains Willem Schouten
and Jacob LeMaire
sight Niuatoputapu which they name
Verraders
Eijlandt (Traitors Island) and
Tafahi which is
named Cocos Eijlant
(Coconut Island).
21
Jan
1643
Dutch Capt. Abel Tasman sights
Tongatapu, which he
names 't Eijlandt Amsterdam
(Amsterdam Island),
and
'Eua ('t Eijlandt Middelburgh)
and on
24 Jan 1643, Nomuka ('t Eijlandt
Rotterdam).
2
Oct
1773
Visited and named Friendly Islands by
British
Capt.
James Cook (b. 1728 - d. 1799).
4 Mar
1781
Vava'u is sighted by Spanish Capt.
Francisco
Antonio Mourelle de la Rúa (b. 1750 -
d. 1820),
which he names Martín de Mayorga.
10
May
1799
Office of Tu'i
Ha'atakalaua expires.
4 Jun
1862
Serfdom officially abolished by royal
edict.
9 Dec
1865
Last Supreme ruler (Tui'i
Tonga) dies.
4
Nov
1875
Kingdom of Tonga (Puleʻanga
Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga).
6 Apr 1886 - 14 Nov
1899 Tonga or Friendly
Islands declared a neutral region
in
accordance with the Declaration of
Berlin.
18
May
1900
Treaty of Friendship with the U.K. is
signed,
placing Tonga under protectorate
(sometimes
called the Friendly
Islands).
18
May 1900 - 3 Jul 1952
Within the British
Western Pacific Territories.
3 Mar 1942 - 26 Aug
1945 U.S. forces garrison Tonga.
4 Jun
1970
Ceases to be a British protected
state.
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Ha`apai-Vava`u
(1777-1833)
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Minerva
(1972, 1982)
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Note: From ancient times Tonga
had a highly tabooed supreme ruler, the Tu'i
Tonga. The tradition claims that in the
16th century the Tu'i Tonga delegated
political authority to a side branch of the royal
family, with the style Tu'i Ha'atakalaua,
and that round 1600 the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua
further delegated political authority to the Tu'i
Kanokupolu. The office of Tu'i
Ha'atakalaua expired 10 May 1799. The
Tu'i Kanokupolu office continued, with
some interruptions, and indeed the future King King
Siaosi Taufa'ahau Tupou I was the last
Tu'i Kanokupolu (although his
successors as kings and queen regarded themselves as
continuing holders of this office). The last Tu'i
Tonga served until 9 Dec 1865, at which
point Siaosi Taufa'ahau Tupou ruled alone as Tu'i
Kanokupolu. On 4 Nov 1875 Tonga was
established as a kingdom (Pule 'Anga
Fakatui'i'o Tonga ["Kingdom of Tonga"]).
Supreme rulers (styled Tu`i Tonga)
.... - ....
Fatafehi Tu'i Pulotu
'i Langi
Tu'oteau (Tu'ipulatu I)
.... -
....
Fatafehi Fakana'ana'a
17.. - 1770
Fatafehi Tu'i Pulotu 'i Langi (d.
1770)
Tu'oteau (Tu'ipulatu II)
1770 - 1784
Fatafehi Paulaho
(b.
c.1749 - d. 1784)
1784 - 1793
Fatafehi
Ma'ulupekotofa
(b. 17.. - d. 1806)
1793 -
1810
Fatafehi
Fununuiava
(b. 1765 - d. 1810)
1810 -
1827
Vacant
1827 - 9 Dec
1865
Fatafehi
Laufilitonga
(b. 1797 - d. 1865)
(from 7 Nov 1851, Samuelio Fatafehi
Laufilitonga)
Chiefs (styled Tu`i Ha`atakalaua)
.... -
....
Mapa
.... -
....
Fuatakifolaha
.... -
1777
Maealiuaki
(d.
af.1781)
1777 - 10 May
1799
Mulikiha'amea
(d. 1799)
Chiefs (styled Tu`i Kanokupolu)
.... -
1736
Vuna
Tu'i'oetau
(d. af.1736)
1736 -
1765
Ma'afu'otu'itonga
(d. af.1765)
1765 -
1771
Tupoulahi
1771 -
1777
Maealiuaki (1st
time)
(s.a.)
1777
Tupoulahisi'i
1777
Mulikiha'amea (1st
time)
(s.a.)
1771 -
1777
Maealiuaki (2nd
time)
(s.a.)
1777 -
1782
Tu'i
Halafatai
(b. c.1747 - d. 1799)
- jointly with -
1777 -
1781
Tupoumahe'ofo (f) (1st
time) (b. 1745 - d.
1793)
1782 - 1789
Tupou Lahisi'
(d. c.1789)
1789 - 1793
Maealiuaki (3rd
time)
(s.a.)
1793
Tupoumahe'ofo (f)
(2nd time) (s.a.)
1793 - 29 Apr
1797
Tupou
Mumui
(b. 1733 - d. 1797)
29 Apr 1797 - 21 Apr 1799 Talai Tupou (Finau
Tuku'aho) (b. 1753 - d.
1799)
(regent 1793 - 29 Apr 1797)
21 Apr 1799 - 22 Apr 1799
Ma'afu'olimuloa
(b. 17.. - d. 1800)
22 Apr 1799 -
1812
Tupou
Malohi
(b. c.1760 - d. 1812)
(in Fiji exile 1800-1805)
1812 -
1820
Tupouto'a
(b. c.1777 - d. 1820)
1820 - 1826
Interregnum
7 Dec 1826 - 14 Nov 1845
'Alea Motu'a Tupouifaletuipapai (b.
c.1782 - d. 1845)
(from 18 Jan 1830, Josiah Tupou)
18 Nov 1845 - 4 Nov 1875 Siaosi
Taufa'ahau Maeakafa (b.
1797 - d. 1893)
(from 4 Dec 1845, Siaosi
Mae'akafa Ngininginiofolanga
Taufa'ahau Tupou)
Kings¹
4 Nov 1875 - 18 Feb 1893
George Tupou
I
(s.a.)
(= Siaosi Tupou I)
18 Feb 1893 - 5 Apr 1918 George
Tupou
II
(b. 1874 - d. 1918)
(= Siaosi Tupou II)
Queen¹
5 Apr 1918 - 16 Dec 1965
Salote Tupou
III
(b. 1900 - d. 1965)
(= Salote Tupou III)
Kings¹
16 Dec 1965 - 10 Sep 2006 Taufa'ahau
Tupou
IV
(b. 1918 - d. 2006)
11 Sep 2006 - 18 Mar
2012 George Tupou
V
(b. 1948 - d. 2012)
(= Siaosi Tupou V)
18 Mar 2012 -
Tupou VI
(b.
1959)
Prime ministers (1876-1970, Premier)
1 Jan 1876 - 18 Dec 1879 Crown
Prince Tevita ' Unga
(b. c.1824 - d. 1879)Non-party
18 Dec 1879 - Apr 1881
Vacant
Apr 1881 - Jul
1890 Shirley
Waldemar
Baker
(b. 1836 - d. 1903) Non-party
Jul 1890 -
1893
Siaosi (George)
Tuku'aho
(b. 1854 - d. 1897) Non-party
1893 - Jan
1905
Siosateki
Tonga
(b. 1853 - d. 1913) Non-party
Jan 1905
Siaosi Tu'i
Pelehake
(b. 1842 - d. 1912) Non-party
Jan 1905 - 30 Sep 1912 Sione
Tupou
Mateialona
(b. 1852 - d. 1925) Non-party
30 Sep 1912 - 30 Jun 1923 Tevita
Tu'ivakano
(b. 1869 - d. 1923) Non-party
30 Jun 1923 - 20 Jul 1941 Prince Viliami
Tungī Mailefihi (b. 1887 - d. 1941)
Non-party
20 Jul 1941 - 12 Dec 1949 Solomone Piutau
Ulamoleka Ata (b. 1883 - d.
1950) Non-party
12 Dec 1949 - 16 Dec 1965 Crown Prince
Taufa'ahau Tungi
(s.a.)
Non-party
(= Taufa'ahau Tupou IV)
16 Dec 1965 - 22 Aug 1991 Prince Fatafehi
Tu'ipelehake (b.
1922 - d. 1999) Non-party
22 Aug 1991 - 3 Jan 2000 Siaosi
Tu'ihala Alipate Tupou, (b. 1921 - d.
2009) Non-party
Baron Vaea of Houma
3 Jan 2000 - 11 Feb
2006 Prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka
Ata (s.a.)
Non-party
(= Tupou VI)
11 Feb 2006 - 22 Dec 2010 Feleti "Fred"
Vaka'uta Sevele (b.
1944)
HRDM
(acting to 30 Mar 2006)
22 Dec 2010 - 30 Dec 2014 Siale 'Ataongo
Kaho, Lord (b. 1952)
Non-party
Tu'ivakano
30 Dec 2014 - 12 Sep 2019 Samiuela
'Akilisi
Pohiva
(b. 1941 - d. 2019) PATOA
12 Sep 2019 - 8 Oct 2019 Semisi Kioa
Lafu Sika (acting) (b.
1968)
PATOA
8 Oct 2019 - 28 Dec 2021 Pohiva
Tu'i'onetoa
(b. 1961 - d. 2023) PP
28 Dec 2021 - 9 Dec 2024 Siaosi
'Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni (b.
1970)
Non-party
9 Dec 2024 - 31 Jan 2025
Samiu Kuita Vaipulu
(acting) (b.
1952)
Non-party
31 Jan 2025 -
'Aisake Valu
Eke
(b. 1960)
Non-party
British Agents and Consuls
12 Feb 1901 -
1909
Hamilton
Hunter
(b. 1846 - d. 1923)
9 Sep 1909 -
1913
William Telfer
Campbell
(b. 1863 - d. 1929)
1 Jan 1913 -
1917
Henry Eugene Walter
Grant
(b. 1855 - d. 1934)
25 Aug 1917 -
1926
Islay
McOwan
(b. 1871 - d. 1948)
9 Jul 1926 -
1937
James Scott
Neill
(b. 1889 - d. 1958)
17 Dec 1937 -
1943
Arthur Leopold
Armstrong
(b. 1888 - d. 1973)
30 Jun 1943 -
1949
Charles Walter Trevor
Johnson (b. 1893 - d.
....)
24 Mar 1949 -
1954
James Edward
Windrum
(b. 1895 - d. 1992)
10 Aug 1954 -
1957
Charles Robert Harley
Nott (b.
1904 - d. 1997)
25 Mar 1957 - 1959
Archibald Cameron
Reid (1st time) (b. 1915 - d. 1994)
British Commissioners and Consuls
9 Nov 1959 -
1965
Edward James
Coode
(b. 1918 - d. 1979)
24 Jun 1965 -
1970
Archibald Cameron Reid (2nd time) (s.a.)
¹Style
of the ruler from 4 Jun 1875: ʻi he Kelesi
ʻa e ʻOtua ko e Tuʻi ʻo e Puleʻanga ʻo Tonga
("By the Grace of God, King of the Kingdom of Tonga").
International Disputes:
Fiji does not recognize Tonga's 1972 claim to the
Minerva Reefs and their surrounding waters; the
Minerva Reefs' 200-mile exclusive economic zone
includes valuable fishing grounds.
Party abbreviations:
HRDM = Human Rights and Democracy
Movement (democratic, social justice, anti-corruption,
1992-1998 named Pro-Democracy Movement, est.Oct 1998);
PATOA = Paati
Temokalati 'a e 'Otu Motu 'Anga'ofa (Democratic Party of
the Friendly Islands, economic reformist, split
from HRDM, est.Sep 2010); TPPI
= Paati 'a e Kakai 'o Tonga (Tonga People's Party
Inc., pro-China, est.20 Sep 2019)
Ha'apai-Vava'u
Late 18th
cent.
Ha'apai-Vava'u archipelago develops a high degree of
autonomy,
but subject to the Tu'i Tonga,
and notionally Tu'i Kanokupolu,
although the chiefs were often the most powerful persons
in
all of Tonga.
21 Jan
1643
Ha'apai visited by Dutch Capt. Abel Tasman.
27 Jun 1774
Ha'apai visited by British
Capt. James Cook.
5 Mar
1781
Vava'u visited by Spanish
Capt. Francisco Mourelle de la Rúa.
20 May
1793
Vava'u claimed for Spain by Alessandro Malaspina (no
effect).
Mar 1833
Incorporated
into Tonga.
Chiefs (styled Tu'i Vav'au; nominally
governors)
c.1777 - 12 Jun
1797 Finau
'Ulukalala I 'i Ma'ufanga (b. 1748 -
d. 1799)
1797 - May
1799
Takitakimalohi
(d. af.1809)
May 1799 -
1809
Finau 'Ulukalala II 'i Feletoa
(b. c.1750 - d. 1809)
1809 -
1811
Finau 'Ulukalala III Moengangongo (b. c.1786 - d.
1811)
1811 - Mar
1833
Finau 'Ulukalala IV
Tuabayi (d.
1833)
Minerva
-
- 19 Jan 1972 - 21 Jun 1972
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Map
of Minerva
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Currency: Minerva
Dollar
(issued 1973)
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Population: 5 (1972)
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1807
Crew of the brig Rosalia,
commanded by Lieutenant John Garland,
shipwrecked on the Minerva Reefs.
1816
The Oriental Navigator
for 1816 recorded Garland's discovery
under the name Rosaretta Shoal.
Dec 1818
Reefs charted by Capt.
John Nicholson of LMS Haweis, and
named the Nicholson's Reefs.
9 Sep 1829
Australian whaling ship Minerva
wrecks on South Minerva Reef,
which was known as Nicholson's Reef or Nicholson's
Shoal.
1854
British Capt. Henry Mangles Denham
(b. 1800 - d. 1887) of H.M.S.
Herald
charted the two reefs, naming them the Minerva
Reefs.
24 Aug
1887
King of Tonga officially delineates Tonga's borders
by Royal
Proclamation, the Minerva Reefs
remain outside its claim.
1942 -
1945
U.S. military installations on the south reef.
7 Jul 1962 - 18 Oct
1962 Tongan vessel, Tuaikaepau,
hit the South Minerva Reef and are
rescued
102 days after the shipwreck.
24 Nov 1966
Annexed to Tonga by Capt.
Tevita Fifita.
Aug
1971
Colonized by the U.S. based libertarians
from the Ocean Life
Research Foundation (OLRF), construction on north
reef commenced.
19 Jan
1972
"Republic of Minerva" proclaimed (not recognized).
15 Jun
1972
Tonga
asserted its claim on
Minerva Reefs (as Ongo Teleki)
(by Tongan Government Gazette Extra-ordinary No. 7.)
The reefs
are named Teleki Tokelau and Teleki
Tonga.
21 Jun
1972
King Tupou IV of Tonga sailed to the Minerva
Reefs on his royal
yacht Olovaha
to declare the proclamation of 15 Jun.
1982
(3
weeks)
Group led again by Morris C. "Bud" Davis
tries to re-occupy the
reefs, but are forced off by Tongan troops.
Nov
2005
Fiji lodges a complaint with International Seabed
Authority
concerning territorial
claim over Minerva and statement not
recognizing maritime
water claims by Tonga.
May 2011
Fiji naval ships destroy the Tongan lighthouse on the
north reef.
President of the Provisional Government (remained
in Orange, California)
19 Jan 1972 - 21 Jun
1972 Maurice (Morris) "Bud" C.
Davis (b. 1926)
(1st time)
1971 –
1972
Thurlow "Tad"
Weed
(b. 1933 – d. 2006)
(leader
of the colonization team)
1982 (3 weeks)
Maurice
(Morris) "Bud" C. Davis (s.a.)
(2nd time)
© Ben Cahoon |