What is Tonga for kids?
The country of Tonga consists of 176 islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Some of the islands are the peaks of undersea volcanoes. Other Tongan islands are atolls, or islands in which coral reefs surround a shallow pool of water.
What is Tongas nickname?
the friendly islands
Many years ago, Tonga was given the nickname of the friendly islands because of the welcoming and congenial attitude shown to visitors.
Where is Tonga for kids?
Tonga is a country in Pacific Ocean. It has 169 islands. Only 36 islands have inhabitants. The most important island is Tongatapu….Tonga facts for kids.
| Quick facts for kids Kingdom of Tonga Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga | |
|---|---|
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly |
| Independence | |
| • from British protection | 4 June 1970 |
| Area |
Why is Tonga called the Kingdom of Tonga?
Etymology. In many Polynesian languages, including Tongan, the word tonga comes from fakatonga, which means “southwards”, and the archipelago is so named because it is the southernmost group among the island groups of central Polynesia.
What is a interesting fact about Tonga?
Tonga is an archipelago of 169 islands of which only 36 are inhabited. This island nation is scattered over a vast area of ocean about 700,000 square kilometers. 2. Tonga is the only Pacific country which was never colonised.
What is Tongan culture?
Nearly the entire population is of Polynesian ancestry. Tongans are closely related to Samoans and other Polynesians in culture and language as well as in genetic heritage. There is also a small amount of Melanesian influence through contact with Fiji.
Who is Tonga’s king?
Tupou VITonga / Monarch
Who first discovered Tonga?
The first Europeans arrived in 1616, when the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire spotted Tongans in a canoe off the coast of Niuatoputapu, and the famous Abel Tasman followed soon after.
What is life like in Tonga?
About 25 percent of households in Tonga have incomes that are below the poverty line – 88 percent of Tonga’s population live in rural areas of the country, which experience the highest rates of poverty and harshest living conditions.
What’s Tonga famous for?
The Friendly Islands
Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific and the only pacific nation never to fully lose its indigenous governance. Also known as “The Friendly Islands” it consists of 171 coral and volcanic islands spread over 747 sq km with 48 of those inhabited.