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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Oceania,
archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds
of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
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Geographic coordinates:
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20 00 S,
175 00 W |
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total:
748 sq km
land: 718 sq km
water: 30 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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four
times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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419 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation |
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Climate:
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tropical;
modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May),
cool season (May to December) |
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Terrain:
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most
islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral
formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island
1,033 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish,
fertile soil |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 23.61%
permanent crops: 43.06%
other: 33.33% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA |
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Natural hazards:
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cyclones
(October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on
Fonuafo'ou |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) |
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Population:
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112,422
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
20.46 years
male: 19.93 years
female: 21.02 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.98%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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25.18
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.35
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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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.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 69.53 years
male: 67.05 years
female: 72.14 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Polynesian, Europeans about 300 |
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Religions:
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Christian
(Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) |
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Languages:
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Tongan,
English |
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Literacy:
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definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.9%
male: 98.8%
female: 99% (1996 est.) |
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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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Emancipation 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)
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 |
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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 21 March 2005 (next to be
held in 2008)
election results: Peoples Representatives:
percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7,
independents 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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Human
Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev.
Simote VEA, chairman] |
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International organization participation:
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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) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$244
million (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.5%
(2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 23%
industry: 13%
services: 64% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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33,910
(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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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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10.3%
(2002 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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Agriculture - products:
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squash,
coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee,
ginger, black pepper; fish |
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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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24.79
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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23.06
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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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 |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$27
million f.o.b. (2002 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
37.1%, China 18.7%, US 17.7%, Taiwan 8.7%, New Zealand
7.4% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$86
million f.o.b. (2002 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 37.1%, Fiji 24.3%, Australia 9.1%, China 8.9%,
US 6.3% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$63.4
million (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 (code):
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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 - 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003), 2.1952
(2002), 2.1236 (2001), 1.7585 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July -
30 June |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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11,200
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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9,000
(2004) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM
4, shortwave 1 (2004) |
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Radios:
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61,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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3 (2004)
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Televisions:
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2,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.to |
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Internet hosts:
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18,906
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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2 (2000)
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Internet users:
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2,900
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
680 km
paved: 184 km
unpaved: 496 km (1999 est.) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Nuku'alofa |
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Merchant marine:
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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) |
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Airports:
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6 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Tonga
Defense Services: Ground Forces (Royal Marines, Royal
Guard), Maritime Force (includes Air Wing) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age (est.) (2004) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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