The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles) in a north-south line. The islands lie south of Samoa, about one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii. Tonga sits on the eastern edge of the Indo-Australian Plate, which is forced up as the Pacific Plate pushes under it at the Tonga Trench. This long oceanic valley running 2,000 km from Tonga to New Zealand is one of the lowest segments of the ocean floor, in places more than 10 km deep. Tongatapu boasts some splendid coastline, notably its blowholes and has the largest standing ancient Polynesian structure.

Tongatapu is the main island with the capital town of Nuku'alofa and the international airport at Fua'amotu and within its lagoon are many fabulous uninhabited islands. The outer islands of Vava'u's hilly terrain is perhaps more interesting and scenic, however if you especially appreciate expansive white sand beaches there's no shortage of these in Ha'apai.
Tonga, the only sovereign monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, has the distinction of being the only island nation in the region to have avoided formal colonization. Tonga is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the British Commonwealth.

The world also knows the islands of Tonga as the Friendly Islands because of the friendly reception accorded to Captain Cook on his first visit in 1773. He happened to arrive at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits to the Tu'i Tonga, the islands' paramount chief, and was invited to the festivities. The hospitality provided by the local culture filters down through all aspects of this experience. Tongans in general are a friendly folk, and you would encounter this friendliness in both island groups. According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but were unable to agree on a plan.

In many Polynesian languages the word "Tonga" means "South". The name Tonga was derived from the word "Tongahahake" translations "Southeast", originally means "The wind that blows from the Southeast"
Tonga has a small economy that is heavily reliant on remittances from Tongans living and working overseas and foreign aid to fund a large current account deficit. Tonga receives an average of 200 million pa'anga per year in remittances (A$133 million). Tonga experienced a trade account (fob) deficit of T$69.3 million an increased by 48.7% when compared to deficit T$46.6 million in the same quarter of 2007 and increased by 15.3% when compared to the previous quarter. Tonga earned T$5.6 million from exports in June quarter 2008 an increased by 20.6% and 101% when compared to exports of the same quarter of 2007 and exports of the previous quarter.

Tongans, who are of Polynesian descent, make up the bulk of the population; however, there are also relatively small numbers from other Pacific islands, Europe and Asia. Tongan is the official language, but all government documents are in both Tongan and English. Tonga has legislation protecting intellectual property rights, but enforcement of IPR laws is weak. Counterfeit and pirated products are widely available on the local market.

Tonga is one the most fertile nations in the Pacific. Apart from the usual crops like taro, yams, copra and bananas, the kingdom grows vegetables for export, in particular squash pumpkins for the Japanese market, which have become one the main sources of foreign income. Tongans don't want to hear that its hard on the coral beaches lined with palm trees and emerald lagoons. There are many opportunities for skilled trades from the streets to the shops, in the schools to the churches and yes from the markets to the office.

Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government. Tongan's enjoy a relatively high quality of life, which includes a strong sense of community and national identity. There are, however, significant challenges - high levels of emigration among its well-educated workforce coupled with dependency on their remittances, a narrow base of economic activity and a small private sector.
Tonga is a great place to holiday and with the friendly people you are sure to have an Friendly Island experience.