Tonga21.21° S, 175.16° W
No land border at all — every neighbor is across water, along 419 km of coast, the 112th longest on Earth.
land borders 0 km · 164th/230 · coastline 419 km · 112th/229
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value
geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area
Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.
Of local origin, the name Tonga is said to mean "island." The former name, the Friendly Islands, came from Captain James Cook in 1773, based on the welcome he received from the inhabitants.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
An archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, Tonga lies on the route from Hawaii to New Zealand. The islands are mostly flat, with limestone bedrock formed from uplifted coral formations. Some islands have limestone overlying volcanic rock. Tonga's natural resources are arable land and fish.
The western islands, making up the Tongan Volcanic Arch, are all of volcanic origin. The eastern islands are nonvolcanic and consist of coral limestone and sand. Kao Volcano on Kao Island is the highest point. The Pacific Ocean is the lowest point.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
The population includes Tongan people, as well as European, Fijian, Samoan, Indian, Chinese, other Pacific Islander, other Asian, and other people.
Religious affiliations include Protestant churches, Church of Jesus Christ, Roman Catholic, other faiths, no religion, and no answer. The population is concentrated on Tongatapu, while only some of the nation's islands are occupied.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Its government is a constitutional monarchy using English common law as its legal system. The constitution was adopted 4 November 1875 and revised in 1988 and 2016. Tonga gained independence 4 June 1970 from UK protectorate status. The national holiday is the Official birthday of King Tupou VI, 4 July (1959).
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
A red flag carries a red cross on a white rectangle in its upper-left corner. The cross stands for Christianity in Tonga, while red represents Christ's blood and sacrifice and white represents purity. The national symbol is a red cross on a white field.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
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