Tonga (south) is a Pacific state in Polynesia. Consists of over 172 islands, of which only 36 are inhabited. Refers to the dwarf states.
According to Beautypically, the capital is Nuku’alofa. The official language is Tongan, English. Currency – paanga.
Translated from many languages of Polynesia, the word Tonga means – south. Probably, the archipelago got its name from its location south of the Samoa Islands, from where the colonization of Polynesia, including Tonga, was carried out. However, the Tongans translate the name of their country as – garden. The English traveler James Cook named the archipelago in 1773 – the Islands of Friendship.
The climate is hot, tropical, influenced by the southeast trade winds. Temperature +26*С. Rains – November-April, drought – May-October. In February – destructive cyclones. There are two distinct seasons – the rainy season and the dry season. The wet season, also known as the cyclone season, runs from November to April, while the dry season runs from May to October. More rain in January, February and March.
The largest island groups that make up the Kingdom are the islands of Vavau, Tongatapu and Ha’apai. The Tonga archipelago stretches from north-northeast to south-southeast for about 631 km, and from east-southeast to west-northwest for about 209 km.
The state of Tonga is a cluster of volcanic and coral islands located in the South Pacific Ocean. Coral islands are covered with tropical forests. On the territory of Tonga there are two national parks (Eua Island and Vavau Island) and six reserves.
For a long time, the tourism sector of the Tongan economy was relatively undeveloped. Only in 1966 did the government of the kingdom take the first important step towards the development of tourism – the largest hotel in the country, the International Dateline Hotel, was built. Currently, tourism plays an important role in the economy of Tonga and is one of the main sources of foreign exchange. In 2004, 41,208 tourists visited the country, which is almost 10,000 more than in 1999 – 30,949 people.
The country is mainly visited by tourists from New Zealand, Australia and the USA. In 2003, the main purposes of coming to Tonga were spending holidays on the islands, as well as visiting friends and relatives, and the main types of recreation for foreigners are diving, sport fishing, cultural tourism, yachting, surfing, camping.
Citizens of some states, including the former republics of the USSR – Russia, Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania, do not need a visa to enter the country. As a rule, it is issued free of charge at the airport when entering the Kingdom. Validity – 1 month. Obligatory conditions for obtaining it are a return ticket and a sufficient amount of money. However, citizens of a number of countries are required to obtain a visa to enter the country.
Interesting facts
The Tonga Islands are located on the line connecting New Zealand and Hawaii, south of Samoa and east of Fiji. The islands of Tonga were discovered in 1616 by Dutch navigators Willem Schouten and Jacob Lehmer.
The country is mainly visited by tourists from New Zealand, Australia and the United States. Citizens of Russia do not need a visa. It is issued free of charge at the airport upon entry into the Kingdom. Validity – 1 month. Obligatory conditions for obtaining a visa are a return ticket and a sufficient amount of funds for recreation.
Fish is one of the national treasures of Tonga, which plays a very important role in the economy and life of the country. For the domestic market, fish is mainly caught within the reefs and lagoons and serves as the main source of protein for the local population.
