Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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The archipelago of "The Friendly Islands" was united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. It became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga acquired its independence in 1970 and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
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Location:
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Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
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Geographic coordinates:
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20 00 S, 175 00 W
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km
water: 30 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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four times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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419 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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Climate:
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tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
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Terrain:
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most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m
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Natural resources:
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fish, fertile soil
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Land use:
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arable land: 23.61%
permanent crops: 43.06%
other: 33.33% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)
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Population:
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110,237 (July 2004 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 37.1% (male 20,873; female 20,050)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 32,018; female 32,707)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,005; female 2,584) (2004 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 20.1 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20.7 years (2004 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.94% (2004 est.)
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Birth rate:
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24.87 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate:
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5.45 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 12.99 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 69.2 years
male: 66.74 years
female: 71.79 years (2004 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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3 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan
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Ethnic groups:
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Polynesian, Europeans about 300
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Religions:
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Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
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Languages:
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Tongan, English
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Literacy:
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definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.5%
male: 98.4%
female: 98.7% (1996 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands
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Government type:
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hereditary constitutional monarchy
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Capital:
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Nuku'alofa
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Administrative divisions:
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3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u
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Independence:
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4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 4 June (1970)
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Constitution:
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4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967
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Legal system:
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based on English law
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister James C. COCKER (since NA January 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the monarch, consists of 12 members
note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the Cabinet, and two governors
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats - 12 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7, traditionalist 2
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief justice of the Supreme Court)
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Political parties and leaders:
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there are no political parties
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chair]
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Sonatane T. T. TUPOU
chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025
FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga
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Flag description:
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red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
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Economy - overview:
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Tonga, a small, open, South Pacific island economy, has a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. High unemployment among the young and the continuing upturn in inflation are major issues facing the government.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $236 million (2001 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2001 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2001 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 26%
industry: 12%
services: 62% (2002 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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10.3% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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33,910 (1996)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 65% (1997 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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13.3% (1996 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $39.9 million
expenditures: $52.4 million, including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY99/00 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish
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Industries:
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tourism, fishing
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8.6% (FY98/99)
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Electricity - production:
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27.27 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - consumption:
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25.36 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Exports:
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$27 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
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Exports - partners:
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US 50%, Japan 35.7%, Italy 3.6% (2003)
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Imports:
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$86 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
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Imports - partners:
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New Zealand 43.4%, Fiji 22.2%, Australia 11.1%, US 6.1% (2003)
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Debt - external:
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$63.4 million (2001)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02)
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Currency:
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pa'anga (TOP)
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Currency code:
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TOP
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Exchange rates:
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pa'anga per US dollar - NA (2003), 2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001), 1.7585 (2000), 1.5991 (1999)
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June
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Highways:
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total: 680 km
paved: 184 km
unpaved: 496 km (1999 est.)
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Ports and harbors:
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Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai
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Merchant marine:
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total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 136,977 GRT/200,751 DWT
by type: bulk 3, cargo 21, chemical tanker 2, container 1, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: Albania 1, Australia 4, Brazil 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 1, Panama 2, Romania 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Switzerland 3, Syria 1, United (2003 est.)
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Airports:
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6 (2003 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 27 January, 2005
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