Tonga

In brief

Tonga is a country in Polynesia (Oceania). Its capital is Nuku’alofa. With 103,742 inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 182nd in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 747 km². An island nation, Tonga has no land border.

GDP per capita stands at $6,547 (2025), 106th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 73.1 years (2024). 21% of the population lives in cities.

History of Tonga

Settled nearly 3,000 years ago, Tonga was the centre of a maritime empire in the 13th century. James Cook called them the “Friendly Islands” in 1773. George Tupou I unified the kingdom in 1845 and gave it a constitution in 1875. A British protected state that was never colonised, the country regained full sovereignty in 1970. It is the last monarchy in Polynesia. In January 2022 the eruption of the undersea volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, one of the most powerful ever recorded, caused a tsunami.

Geography of Tonga

About 170 islands, some forty of them inhabited, in three groups: Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u. Some are coral, others volcanic. To the east, the Tonga Trench is one of the deepest in the world.

Map of Tonga

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Flag of Tonga

The flag of Tonga is red and white. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Red83%
• White17%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Red, with a white canton bearing a red cross, a symbol of Christianity. The constitution says it may never be changed.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Tonga” and “Flag of Tonga”.

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Fact file

Economy and society