Tonga - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Tonga. The western islands (making up the Tongan Volcanic Arch) are all of volcanic origin; the eastern islands are nonvolcanic and are composed of coral limestone and sand. Mother's mean age at first birth is 24.9 years (2012 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 126 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Tonga
Location Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates 20 00 S, 175 00 W
Map references Oceania
Tarrain mostly flat islands with limestone bedrock formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic rock
Natural Resources arable land, fish
Natural Hazards

cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou

volcanism: moderate volcanic activity; Fonualei (180 m) has shown frequent activity in recent years, while Niuafo'ou (260 m), which last erupted in 1985, has forced evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Late and Tofua

Irrigated Land 0 sq km (2022)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 419 km
Climate tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 717 sq km
Water Area 30 sq km
comparative Area four times the size of Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Kao Volcano on Kao Island 1,046 m
Lowest point Pacific Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 43.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 22.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 15.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 5.6% (2018 est.)
Forest 12.5% (2018 est.)
Other 44.4% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Over two-thirds of the population lives on the island of Tongatapu; only 45 of the nation's 171 islands are occupied

People and Society

In Tonga, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Tongan 96.5%, other (European, Fijian, Samoan, Indian, Chinese, other Pacific Islander, other Asian, other) 3.5% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate -0.34% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 19.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 5.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 2.65 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.3 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 29.3% (2019)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 54.9% (2023 est.)
Literacy can read and write Tongan and/or English
Education expenditures 6.6% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate -18.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Tongan | Tongan(s)
Languages Tongan only 85%, Tongan and other language 13.9%, Tongan not used at home 1.1% (2021 est.)
Religions Protestant 63.9% (Free Wesleyan Church 34.2%, Free Church of Tonga 11.3%, Church of Tonga 6.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.5%, Assembly of God 2.5%, Tokaikolo/Maamafo'ou 1.5%, Constitutional Church of Tonga 1.2%, other Protestant 4%), Church of Jesus Christ 19.7%, Roman Catholic 13.7%, other 2.1%, none 0.6%, no answer 0.1% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 29.3% (male 15,627/female 15,142)
15-64 years 63.2% (male 33,445/female 32,867)
65 years and over 7.4% (2024 est.) (male 3,534/female 4,274)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 68.6
Youth dependency ratio 58.5
Elderly dependency ratio 10.5
Potential support ratio 9.5 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 25.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 25.4 years
Female 26.4 years
Urbanization
Urban population 23.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 23,000 NUKU'ALOFA (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.83 male(s)/female
Total population 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 11.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 78 years (2024 est.)
Male 76.4 years
Female 79.7 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 99.6% of population
Improved: total total: 99.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 99.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 98.8% of population
Improved: total total: 98.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 1.2% of population
Unimproved: total total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 31% (2020 est.)
Male 46.7% (2020 est.)
Female 15.3% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 0.4%
Women married by age 18 10.1%
Men married by age 18 2.8% (2019 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Tonga

Want to know more about Tonga? Check all different factbooks for Tonga below.

Tonga is found in Polynesia