| Country | Tonga |
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| Flag |  |
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| Capital | name: Nuku'alofa geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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| Population | 116,921 (July 2007 est.) |
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| GMT | +13 |
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| Location | Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
see map |
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| Area | total: 748 sq km land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km |
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| Ethnic groups | Polynesian, Europeans |
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| Religions | Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) |
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| Languages | Tongan, English |
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| Government type | constitutional monarchy |
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| National holiday | Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970) |
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| Constitution | 4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967 |
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| Legal system | based on English common law |
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| Background | Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. |
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Internet country code | .to |
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