 | |
 Germany |  Tonga |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Germany, Wellington | High Commission of Tonga, London |
Foreign relations between Germany and Tonga began on 1 May 1976.
The German embassy in Wellington is also responsible for Tonga. A German honorary consulate is active in Nukuʻalofa. [1] Tonga's embassy in the United Kingdom is also responsible for Germany. There are also honorary consulates in Düsseldorf and Hamburg. [2]
19th century German settlers migration to Tonga while relatively small in numbers, was distinct from other German settler communities in the New World in showing proportionally high, fast and almost complete assimilation into the local culture. [3]
In 1876, Germany signed a treaty of friendship with Tonga, [4] [5] and leased space for a coaling station at Neiafu in Vavaʻu. [6] The political background of the Treaty of Friendship of 1876 was the heyday of imperialism and colonialism in the Pacific Islands. [7] During this phase, various great powers (including the German Empire) fought over the division of the region. [8] In 1878 Emperor Wilhelm I sent King George Tupou I a life-sized portrait of himself. [9] This was followed in 1879 by awarding him the Order of the Red Eagle. [10] In the Samoa Treaty of 1899, Germany recognised the Tonga Islands as part of Britain's sphere of interests. In 1900, Tonga became a British protectorate, and Germany's rights were ceded to Britain. [11] During World War I, New Zealand recruited Tongans to fight Germany in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. [12]
Germany showed a renewed interest in Tonga in 1976, when the Soviet Union proposed establishing a base there, [13] re-establishing diplomatic relations, [14] renewing the Treaty of Friendship, and granting bilateral aid for the first time. [15]
King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV visited West Germany in 1980. [16]
In 2016, the President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert visited the island to mark 140 years of relations between the two countries. [17] [18]
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about 750 km2 (290 sq mi), scattered over 700,000 km2 (270,000 sq mi) in the southern Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494, 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately 800 km (500 mi) north-south. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west, Niue to the east, and Kermadec to the southwest. Tonga is about 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's North Island. Tonga is a member of The Commonwealth.
The history of Tonga is recorded since the ninth century BC, when seafarers associated with the Lapita diaspora first settled the islands which now make up the Kingdom of Tonga. Along with Fiji and Samoa, the area served as a gateway into the rest of the Pacific region known as Polynesia. Ancient Tongan mythologies recorded by early European explorers report the islands of 'Ata and Tongatapu as the first islands having been hauled to the surface from the deep ocean by Maui.
His Majesty's Armed Forces (HMAF) is the military of Tonga. It is composed of three operational components and two support elements.
Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV was the King of Tonga, from the death of his mother, Queen Sālote Tupou III, in 1965 until his own death in 2006.
Sālote Tupou III was Queen of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965. She reigned for nearly 48 years, longer than any other Tongan monarch. She was well known for her height, standing 6 ft 3 in tall in her prime.
George Tupou II was the King of Tonga from 18 February 1893 until his death. He was officially crowned at Nukuʻalofa, on 17 March 1893. He was also the 20th Tuʻi Kanokupolu.
Niuafoʻou is the northernmost island in the kingdom of Tonga. One of the Niua Islands, it is located in the southern Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa, 574 km (357 mi) north of Tongatapu island group and 337 km (209 mi) northwest of Vavaʻu. It is a volcanic rim island with an area of 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) and a population of 431. The volcano is active and has erupted regularly since 1814, with its last major eruption in 1985.
George Tupou V was the King of Tonga from the death of his father Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV in 2006 until his own death six years later.
The Tonga national rugby league team represents Tonga in rugby league football. They are currently the fifth ranked team in the world. The team was formed to compete in the 1986 Pacific Cup, and have competed at six Rugby League World Cups, starting in 1995 and continuing consecutively until the most recent tournament. Their best result was at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, where they were semi-finalists.
Siaosi ʻAlipate Halakilangi Tau’alupeoko Vaea Tupou, more commonly known as Baron Vaea, was a Tongan politician who served as Prime Minister of Tonga. Vaea was a nephew of Queen Sālote, who ruled Tonga from 1918 until 1965, and a member of the Tongan nobility. His career in the Tongan government spanned 54 years.
Niue International Airport, also known as Hanan International Airport, is an international airport serving the island nation of Niue. It is located near the town of Alofi, and is only used by Air New Zealand, flying to and from Auckland twice a week, departing Auckland on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and departing Niue on Mondays and Fridays.
Neiafu is the second-largest town in Tonga with a population of 3,845 in 2021. It is situated beside the Port of Refuge, a deep-water harbour on the south coast of Vavaʻu, the main island of the Vavaʻu archipelago in northern Tonga. To the north-west lies the 131-metre high (430 ft) Mt. Talau with its distinctive flat top.
Tongan nationality law is regulated by the 1875 Constitution of Tonga, as amended; the Nationality Act, and its revisions; and international agreements entered into by the government of Tonga. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Tonga. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Tongan nationality is typically obtained either on the principle of jus soli, i.e. by birth in Tonga or under the rules of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth abroad to parents with Tongan nationality. It can be granted to persons who have lived in the country for a specific period of time, or who have an affiliation to the country through naturalisation.
Tonga and the Soviet Union established formal diplomatic relations in April 1976. Tonga was the first Pacific Island country to establish relations with the USSR.
The Kingdom of Tonga and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics established formal diplomatic relations in April 1976. Tonga was the first Pacific Island country to establish relations with the USSR. The USSR was dissolved in 1991 and was succeeded by the Russian Federation as the successor state.
Halaevalu Mata'aho ʻAhomeʻe was Queen of Tonga from 1965 to 2006, as the wife of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV. She was the mother of King George Tupou V and the current King of Tonga, Tupou VI.
Fatafehi Fakafānua, known before ascending to his title as Fatafehi Kinikinilau Lolomana‘ia Fakafānua, is a Tongan politician, Lord of the Realm and the Speaker of the Tongan Legislative Assembly. He is the 8th Fakafānua.
The Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga is an Order of Merit awarded for exceptional services to Tonga and the Crown of Tonga. Currently, it is the highest honor conferred by the Kingdom of Tonga.
India–Tonga relations are the international relations that exist between India and Tonga. The High Commission of India in Suva, Fiji is concurrently accredited to Tonga.
Sanitesi Latu is a former Tongan Athlete who has represented Tonga at the Commonwealth Games, Pacific Games, and Pacific Mini Games.
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