Tonga - Geography

The Kingdom of Tonga, known as ‘The Friendly Islands’, lies in the central south-west Pacific, surrounded (clockwise from the west) by Fiji Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa, Cook Islands and, to the south, New Zealand. The islands, which straddle the international date line, lie to the east of the Tonga Trench, containing some of the deepest waters of the South Pacific. The main island sub-groups are Tongatapu, Vava’u and Ha’apai. The largest island is Tongatapu.

Time: GMT minus 11hr. The clock is advanced by one hour from the first Saturday in October to the first Sunday in April.

Area: 748 sq km; Tongatapu 256 sq km.

Main towns: Nuku’alofa (capital, pop. 23,700 in 2006), Mu’a (4,900) and Haveloloto (3,400) on Tongatapu; Neiafu (4,300) on Vava’u; Pangai (1,700) on Lifuka in the Ha’apai group of islands; Ohonua (1,300) on Eua.

Topography: Of the 172 islands, only 36 are permanently inhabited. The islands to the east are of coral formation, the Lifuka and Nomuka groups with many small coral islands and reefs. The islands to the west are volcanic. There are active volcanoes on four of the islands, including Tofua Island whose crater is filled with hot water. Falcon, an active volcano under the sea, sends up lava and ash from time to time.

Climate: Hot and humid from January to March; cooler from April to December. Cyclones may occur November to April.

Environment: The most significant environmental issues are deforestation, damage to coral reefs by excessive coral and shell harvesting, and depletion of sea turtle populations by hunters.

Vegetation: Tongatapu island is flat and covered in small agricultural plantations with coconut trees and other crops. Eua island is hilly and partly forested. The Vava’u Islands are densely wooded. Coconut palms grow along the coastline and cover some of the coral islands. Forest covers about 10% of the total land area.

Wildlife: Tonga was the first South Pacific country to initiate a conservation programme, with a series of marine and forest reserves. The only land mammal indigenous to Tonga is the ‘flying fox’, actually a large fruit bat with a wingspan of up to 1 metre. It occurs in a large colony near the village of Kolovai on Tongatapu. Birds include the red-breasted musk parrot and the blue-crowned lory, said to be the most beautiful bird of the Pacific.

Transport: There are 680km of roads, 27% paved and the rest surfaced with impacted coral. The two main ports are at Nuku’alofa and Neiafu, and have shipping connections with Australia and Europe. Ferries run between the islands.

International airports are located at Fua’amotu (21km south-east of Nuku’alofa) and at Lupepau’u on Vava’u.