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.
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.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the largest international scout organization and was established in 1922. It has 176 members. These members are national scout organizations that founded WOSM or have subsequently been recognised by WOSM, which collectively have around 43 million participants. Its operational headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while it is legally based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tongan is an Austronesian language of the Polynesian branch native to the island nation of Tonga. It has around 187,000 speakers. It uses the word order verb–subject–object.
Sālote Tupou III was Queen of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965. She reigned for nearly 48 years, the longest of any Tongan monarch. She was well known for her height, standing 6 ft 3 in tall in her prime.
The Tonga national rugby union team represents the Tonga Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. The team is nicknamed ʻIkale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a traditional challenge – the Sipi Tau. They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa. The Ikale Tahi achieved a historic 19–14 victory over France in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but having lost to New Zealand and Canada, were unable to achieve what would have been their first-ever presence at the quarter-finals.
Scouts Aotearoa, known internationally as Scouts Aotearoa New Zealand is a trading name of The Scout Association of New Zealand, the national Scouting association in New Zealand and an affiliate of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) since 1953. Scouts Aotearoa had 12,156 youth members and with 5,888 volunteers as of the end of 2020.
Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins is the national Scouting and Guiding association of Liechtenstein. Scouting in Liechtenstein started in 1931, and Guiding followed in 1932. The Boy Scouts became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1933, and the Guides joined the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1952. In 1989 both organizations merged and formed the present Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins. The PPL has about 1,100 members of both sexes and is organised in ten troops.
Niuafoʻou, or Niuafoʻouan, is the language spoken on Tonga's northernmost island, Niuafoʻou.
The Antigua and Barbuda Scout Association is the national Scouting association for Antigua and Barbuda coeducational, with separate sections for boys and girls. Originally a subsidiary of the United Kingdom's Scout Association, it was granted full National Scout Association status in 2022.
The Scout and Guide movement in Tonga is served by
Viliami Tungī Mailefihi CBE was a Tongan high chieftain and Prince consort of Tonga as the husband of Queen Sālote Tupou III. He served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 1923 until his death in 1941.
The Tongan International Cricket is the team that represents the Kingdom of Tonga in international cricket. They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2000. They were removed as an affiliate member in June 2014, over their failure to comply with membership requirements and in 2022 a new Tonga international cricket association from Sydney was formed which is working with governing bodies in Tonga and working to develop skills for both countries Tongan heritage players and soon they will play in the East Asia Pacific Cup again.
The Girl Guides Association of the Kingdom of Tonga is the national Guiding organization of Tonga. It serves 204 members. Founded in 1952, the girls-only organization became an associate member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1987.
The Scout and Guide movement in New Zealand is served by
Christianity is the predominant religion in Tonga, with Methodists having the most adherents.
The Tonga national netball team represents Tonga in international women's netball. Although netball has been played in Tonga, they joined the International Netball Federation in 2011. Tonga won bronze at the South Pacific Games in 1983, 1991 and 1995. On 21 July 2019, Tonga Re-entered at nineteenth in the INF World Rankings.
Sione Tapa was a Tongan politician, physician, and philanthropist. He was the first Tongan to graduate with a medical degree. He served as Tonga's Health Minister from 1970 to 1996.
