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Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa ( , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group. History First western records of Nukualofa On 10 June 1777, British captain James Cook wrote of his arrival at their anchorage place. His description of the place confirmed, with his map, that this was the bay of Nukualofa. Cook never used the name Nukualofa or any alternative spelling for the reports of this voyage, but he mentioned the island of Pangaimodoo (Pangaimotu (Tongatapu), Pangaimotu) which was to the east of his anchorage position. Captain Cook also wrote that he travelled by canoes to visit Mooa (Muʻa (Tongatapu), Mua) where Paulaho and other great men lived. The house that Paulaho provided was on the beach from the ship. Reference to his map shows that he must have landed and stayed in the Siesia area, the eastern part of modern Nukualofa. Cook also drafted the first map of the bay of Nu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai Eruption And Tsunami
In December 2021, an volcanic eruption, eruption began on Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, a submarine volcano in the Tongan archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. The eruption reached a very large and powerful climax nearly four weeks later, on 15 January 2022. Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai is north of Tongatapu, the country's main island, and is part of the highly active Tonga–Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand to Fiji.Gupta, Alok K. ''Igneous Rocks'' Mumbai, India: Allied Publishers, 1998 On the Volcanic Explosivity Index scale, the eruption was rated at least a VEI-5. Described by scientists as a "magma hammer", the volcano at its height produced a series of four underwater thrusts, displaced of rock, ash and sediment, and generated the largest atmospheric explosion recorded by modern instrumentation. The eruption produced a volcanic tsunami that affected Tonga, Fiji, American Samoa, Samoa, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Japan, the United ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tonga
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 , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. 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 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 (the nearest foreign territory) to the east and Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest. Tonga is about from New Zealand's North Island. Tonga was first inhabited roughly 2,500 years ago by the Lapita civilization, Polynesian settlers who gradually evolved a distinct and strong ethnic identity, language, and culture as the Tongan people. They quickly established a powerful footing across the South Pacific, and this period of Tong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Tongan Airlines
Royal Tongan Airlines was the national airline of Tonga until liquidation in 2004. It was a government agency and operated interisland services and international routes. History Formative years In 1983 a feasibility study was undertaken by All Nippon Airways to investigate the setting up of a Tongan airline. It was planned for Friendly Island Airways to begin operations in October 1984, with technical and managerial assistance provided by the Japanese airline, and for the airline to operate a surplus ANA Boeing 737-200. The plan was dropped in favour of Tongan participation in Air Nauru, which was expected to take delivery of a third Fokker F28 and was also expected to extend the Nauru-Apia route to Tonga. At the time, flights between Apia and Tonga were operated exclusively by Polynesian Airlines. In 1985, King of Tonga Taufa'ahau Tupou IV visited the British Aerospace factory in Woodford, leading to hopes with the manufacturer that Tonga would purchase the British Aerospac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2006 Nukuʻalofa Riots
The 2006 Nukualofa riots, also known as the 2006 Tongan riots, started on 16 November, in the Tongan capital of Nukualofa. The Legislative Assembly of Tonga was due to adjourn for the year and despite promises of action, had done little to advance democracy in the government. A mixed crowd of democracy advocates took to the streets in protest. The riots saw a number of cases of robbery, looting, vehicle theft, arson, and various property damage. Targets of riots Riots broke out around 3:30 pm TOT as rioters threw stones, broke windows, and looted. By about 6:00 pm, rioters started setting buildings on fire. The first targets of the rioters were government buildings. Then they attacked enterprises, including some that were leased to ANZ Bank and those owned by the Prime Minister Feleti Sevele. A private shop selling mobile telephones and advertising for Tonfön (part of the Shoreline Group of Companies owned, at the time, by the royal family) was next. Rioters also attack ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukuʻalofa, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the national population, on . Tongatapu is Tonga's centre of government and the seat of its monarchy. Tongatapu has experienced more rapid economic development than the other islands of Tonga, and has thus attracted many internal migrants from them. Geography The island is (or including neighbouring islands) and rather flat, as it is built of coral limestone. The island is covered with thick fertile soil consisting of volcanic ash from neighbouring volcanoes. At the steep coast of the south, heights reach an average of , and maximum , gradually decreasing towards the north. North of the island are many small isolated islands and coral reefs which extend up to from Tongatapu's shores. The almost completely closed Fanga'uta and Fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peau Vavaʻu
Peau Vavaʻu Ltd (or Air Waves of Vavaʻu) was an airline based at the Pacific Royale Hotel in Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. It operated domestic services. Its main base was Fuaamotu International Airport, Tongatapu, with hubs at Lifuka Island Airport and Vavau International Airport. History Peau Vavaʻu was formed in May 2004 following the wake of the collapse of Royal Tongan Airlines. The airline was 50% owned by Crown Prince Tupouto'a.Peau Vava'u History (website) It began operations on 9 June 2004, using a leased from company Pion Air. In August 2004 the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Tupou I
George Tupou I (4 December 1797 – 18 February 1893), originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, was the first List of monarchs of Tonga, king of modern Tonga. He adopted the name Siaosi (originally Jiaoji), the Tongan language, Tongan equivalent of ''George (given name), George'', after King George III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, when he was baptized in 1831. His nickname was ''Lopa-ukamea'' (or Lopa-ʻaione), which translates to ''iron cable''. Biography Birth George Tupou I was born on December 4, 1797 which is a public holiday in Tonga; however, it was the date of his coronation in 1845 as Tu'i Kanokupolu, Tuʻi Kanokupolu, when he took the name Tupou. Tongoleleka and the Niuʻui hospital there (which was destroyed in the 2006 Tonga earthquake) are often stated as his birthplace; however, no evidence supporting this is available, and Lifuka and Tongatapu are also often stated as the birthplace. His father was Tupouto'aʻ, who aspire ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Palace, Tonga
The Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Tonga is located in the northwest of the capital, Nukualofa, close to the Pacific Ocean. The wooden Palace, which was built in 1867, is the official residence of the King of Tonga. The palace is not open to the public, but it is easily visible from the waterfront. Overview In line with the deference Tongans have for the Royal Family, poets almost never refer to the palace (''pālasi'') by name, but use ''heliaki'' or allegoric references like: ''Fanga-tapu'' ("sacred beach", for the stretch of shoreline fronting the building); ''Loto-ā'' ("inside the fence"); ''Ā-maka'' ("stone fence"); and ''Hangai Tokelau'' ("north-wind-against"), the name of a tree near the kitchen, and so forth. The old, metre-high stone fence was so sacred to the king that none would dare sit on it, let alone cross it. However, after 1990, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV had a 3-metre high grid fence erected. After 2000, some people broke through the gates with trucks, prom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fīnau ʻUlukālala
Fīnau Ulukālala (Hot Headed) was a dynasty of six important hereditary chiefs from Vavau (the Tui Vavau), currently in the kingdom of Tonga. The dynasty began sometime in the 18th century and died out in 1960. The chief's original estate was Tuʻanuku, and his nickname and that of the village is Tavakefaiana (a species of tropicbird). Holders of the title I (i Maofanga) Although the first Fīnau (Ulukālala I's grandfather, Mataelehaamea), had been a Tuʻi Kanokupolu (at that time, around 1650, the most powerful royal dynasty of Tongatapu), his father Tuituiohu was only a younger brother of Maafuotuitonga, the next Tui Kanokupolu. As such Tuituiohu tried his luck in Vavaʻu, where he started the dynasty of the Haa Ngatatupu. This first Fīnau died in 1797 in Maʻufanga, Tongatapu and is therefore also called Fīnau Ulukālala I i Maofanga (the old form of the name of the village). He was succeeded by his eldest son who would die later in Feletoa, Vavau, and as such is som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pangaimotu (Tongatapu)
Pangaimotu is a small island in the Tongatapu group of Tonga, lying near the capital Nukuʻalofa. It is reachable by a 10-minute boat trip from Nukuʻalofa. Aside from the beaches, a centrepiece of the island's attraction is a wreck jumping from the hull of the upturned ship 50 metres off the island's main beach. The island also contains the Big Mama Yacht Club, the Pangaimotu Island Resort and a vanilla plantation. The Pangaimotu reef was declared a national marine reserve in 1989. The first mass in Tonga was held under a tree on Pangaimotu on 2 July 1842. It was conducted by Jean Baptiste Pompallier Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier (11 December 1801 – 21 December 1871) was the first Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand and, with priests and brothers of the Marist order, he organised the Roman Catholic Church throughout the country ... and Father Chevron. References Islands of Tonga Tongatapu {{Tonga-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legislative Assembly Of Tonga
The Legislative Assembly of Tonga () is the unicameral legislature of Tonga. History A Legislative Assembly providing for representation of nobles and commoners was established in 1862 by King George Tupou I. This body met every four years and was continued in the 1875 Constitution. Originally the Legislative Assembly consisted of all holders of noble titles, an equal number of people's representatives, the governors for Haʻapai and Vavaʻu, and at least four Cabinet Ministers chosen by the monarch. An increase in the number of nobles from twenty to thirty saw the Assembly grow to 70 members. Amendments in 1914 saw a reduction in the size of the Assembly and annual sittings. The principle of equal representation of nobles and commoners was retained. In April 2010 the Legislative Assembly enacted a package of political reforms, increasing the number of people's representatives from nine to seventeen, with ten seats for Tongatapu, three for Vavaʻu, two for Haʻapai and o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Free Church Of Tonga
The Free Church of Tonga ( Tongan: ''Siasi ʻo Tonga Tauʻatāina'') is a Christian denomination of Methodist extraction in the Kingdom of Tonga. The Church was established in 1885 by King George Tupou I and his government at Lifuka, Ha'apai, as a nationalist reaction to attempts at colonising the Friendly Isles (as Tonga was known at the time). In 1924, its membership was enlarged by the admittance of the entirety of the Wesleyan Church of Tonga, whose district synod voted to reconcile with the Free Church. This union was rejected by the former President, Jabez B. Watkin, and a minority who continued under the old banner long after the united Church had reverted to its original name, the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga. The Free Church name is now synonymous with the group that repudiated the church union of 1924. History Origins The Church was established in January 1885 by Tupou I at the behest of his chief advisor, Shirley Baker, with its goal being independence from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
