Place details
Place nameTonga
Other namesPule'anga Fakatu'i 'o Tonga, Pule 'Anga Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga, Tonga Islands, Friendly Islands, Royaume des Tonga, TON, TO, ISO776, TN00, Tongan, Friendly Isles
Latitude-20
Longitude-175
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Comprises over 150 islands; inhabited by Melanesians of lapita tradition 14th century BCE; dominion extended as far as Hawaii by 13th century CE; visited by Dutch in 17th cen., British 18th century; civil wars 19th century; nation unified under King George Toupou I; official languages are Tongan and English, though other Polynesian languages are also spoken.