- Geography of Tonga
-
Kingdom Of Tonga Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻO Tonga
Nickname: The Friendly Islands
Map of Tonga
Map of TongaGeography Location Central South-West Pacific Coordinates 20°S 175°W / 20°S 175°W Total islands 176 Major islands 36 (inhabited) Area 748 km2 (288.8 sq mi) Highest elevation 1,033 m (3,389 ft) Highest point Kao Country Demographics Population 104,000 (as of 2009) Density 139 /km2 (360 /sq mi) Ethnic groups Tongan(majority), Pacific Islanders, Europeans, Chinese Located in Oceania, Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, directly south of Western Samoa and about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. Its 176 islands, 36 of them inhabited, are divided into three main groups – Vava'u, Ha'apai, and Tongatapu – and cover an 800-kilometre (500-mile)-long north-south line. The largest island, Tongatapu, on which the capital city of Nukuʻalofa is located, covers 257 square kilometres (99 sq mi). Geologically the Tongan islands are of two types: most have a limestone base formed from uplifted coral formations; others consist of limestone overlaying a volcanic base.
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Contents
Climate
The climate is basically subtropical with a distinct warm period (December-April), during which the temperatures rise above 32 °C (89.6 °F), and a cooler period (May-November), with temperatures rarely rising above
27 °C (80.6 °F). The temperature increases from 23 to 27 °C (73.4 to 80.6 °F), and the annual rainfall is from 1,700 to 2,970 millimetres (66.9 to 116.9 inches) as one moves from Tongatapu in the south to the more northerly islands closer to the Equator. The average wettest period is around March with on average 263 mm (10.4 in).[1] The average daily humidity is 80%.
Coastline in TongaClimate data for Nuku'alofa, Tonga Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 32
(90)32
(90)31
(88)30
(86)30
(86)28
(82)28
(82)28
(82)28
(82)29
(84)30
(86)31
(88)32
(90)Average high °C (°F) 28
(82)29
(84)28
(82)27
(81)26
(79)25
(77)25
(77)24
(75)25
(77)25
(77)27
(81)27
(81)26 Daily mean °C (°F) 25
(77)25
(77)25
(77)24
(75)23
(73)21
(70)21
(70)21
(70)21
(70)22
(72)23
(73)23
(73)23 Average low °C (°F) 22
(72)22
(72)22
(72)21
(70)20
(68)18
(64)17
(63)18
(64)17
(63)19
(66)20
(68)20
(68)20 Record low °C (°F) 16
(61)17
(63)15
(59)15
(59)13
(55)11
(52)10
(50)11
(52)11
(52)12
(54)13
(55)16
(61)10
(50)Precipitation mm (inches) 130
(5.12)190
(7.48)210
(8.27)120
(4.72)130
(5.12)100
(3.94)100
(3.94)130
(5.12)110
(4.33)90
(3.54)100
(3.94)120
(4.72)1,610
(63.39)Source: Weatherbase[2] Geology
Though administratively divided into the three main island groups of Tongatapu, Ha'apai, and Vava'u (excluding the outlying islands), the Tonga archipelago is actually made of two geologically different parallel chains of islands.
The western islands, such as 'Ata, Fonuafo'ou, Tofua, Kao, Lata'iki, Late, Fonualei, Toku, Niuatoputapu, and Tafahi, make up the Tongan Volcanic Arch and are all of volcanic origin.[3] They were created from the subduction of the western-moving Pacific plate under the Australia-India plate at the Tonga Trench. The Tongan Islands sit on the Australia-India plate just west of the Tonga Trench. These volcanoes are formed when materials in the descending Pacific plate heat and rise to the surface. There is only limited coral reef development on these islands, except for Niuatoputapu, which has inhibited human settlement.[3]
The eastern islands are nonvolcanic and sit above the mostly submerged Tonga ridge that runs parallel to the Tongan Volcanic Arch and the Tongan Trench. Of these islands, only 'Eua has risen high enough to expose its underlying Eocene volcanic bedrock, the rest are either low coral limestone islands (Tongatapu, Vava'u, Lifuka) or sand cay islands ('Uoleva, 'Uiha).[3] These islands are surrounded by "a protective and resource-rich labyrinth of fringing, apron and off-shore barrier reefs" that have supported most of the human settlement in Tonga ever since the first Lapita People arrived approximately circa 900 BCE.[3]
The Tongan Volcanic Arc has been important in supplying the islands on the Tonga ridge with an andesite tephra soil that has resulted in "an extremely rich soil capable of supporting a high-yield, short-fallow agricultural system." Also, the andesite/basalt from the volcanoes were initially used as "hammerstones, weaving weights, cooking stones, and decorative pebbles for grave decoration."[3] Tafahi island in the far north provided volcanic glass to initial human settlers.[3]
Facts
Geographic coordinates: 20°S 175°W / 20°S 175°W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total:748 km2 (289 sq mi)
land:718 km2 (277 sq mi)
water: 30 km2 (12 sq mi)Land boundaries: 0 km (0 mi)
Coastline: 419 km (260 mi)
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 m (656 ft) depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)Climate: tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
Terrain: most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m (0 ft)
highest point: unnamed location on Kao 1,033 m (3,389 ft)Natural resources: fish, fertile soil
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 43%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 16% (1993 est.)Irrigated land: NA km²
Natural hazards: cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity at Fonuafo'ou (Falcon Shoal/Island) and Late'iki (Metis Shoal/Island)
Environment - current issues: deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreementsGeography - note:
archipelago of 170 islands (36 inhabited)
Nuku Island Vava'uSee also
References
- ^ http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/index.php?destination=nuku-alofa
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Nuku'alofa,Tonga". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=88719&refer=&units=metric&cityname=Nuku%27alofa-Tonga.
- ^ a b c d e f David V. Burley, Tongan Archaeology and the Tongan Past, 2850-150 B.P, Journal of World Prehistory, Vol. 12, No. 3 (September 1998)
- ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/countrytemplate_tn.html
Sources
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State.- World Factbook
Geography of Oceania Sovereign states Dependencies and
other territories- American Samoa
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Cook Islands
- Easter Island
- French Polynesia
- Guam
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- New Caledonia
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- Norfolk Island
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Pitcairn Islands
- Tokelau
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