What is the capital of Tonga?
Country Name | Tonga |
Full Country Name | Kingdom of Tonga |
Local - Long | Pule'anga Tonga |
Local - Short | Tonga |
Former Name | Friendly Islands |
Etymology- history of name | "tonga" means "south" in the Tongan language and refers to the country's geographic position in relation to central Polynesia |
Government Type | constitutional monarchy |
Capital Name | Nuku'alofa |
Capital - geographic coordinate | 21 08 S, 175 12 W |
Capital Time Difference | UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
Independence | 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate) |
National Holiday | King's Official Birthday, 4 July (1959); Constitution Day (National Day), 4 November (1875) |
Constitution | adopted 4 November 1875, revised 1988; amended many times, last in 2014 |
Who is the president of Tonga?
Executive Branch: |
chief of state: King TUPOU VI (since 18 March 2012); Heir Apparent Crown Prince Siaosi Manumataogo 'Alaivahamama'o 'Ahoeitu Konstantin Tuku'aho, son of the king (born 17 September 1985); note - on 18 March 2012, King George TUPOU V died and his brother, Crown Prince TUPOUTO'A Lavaka, assumed the throne as TUPOU VI head of government: Prime Minister Siaosi SOVALENI (since 27 December 2021) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly and appointed by the monarch; election last held on 18 November 2021 (next to be held in November 2025) election results: Siaosi SOVALENI elected prime minister by the Legislative Assembly; Siaosi SOVALENI 16 votes, Aisake EKE 10 note: a Privy Council advises the monarch |
Citizenship Criteria: |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Tonga; if a child is born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen of Tonga dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
Legal System: | English common law |
Suffrage: | 21 years of age; universal |
Legislative Branch: |
description: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats statutory, 27 current); 17 people's representatives directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, and 9 indirectly elected by hereditary leaders; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 18 November 2021 (next to be held in November 2025) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party (elected members) - independents 11, nobles' representatives 9, Democratic Party 3, Peoples Party 3; composition - men 26, women 1, percent of women 3.7% |
Judicial Branch: |
highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and a number of judges determined by the monarch); note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are brought before the King in Privy Council, the monarch's advisory organ that has both judicial and legislative powers judge selection and term of office: judge appointments and tenures made by the King in Privy Council, judge appointments subject to consent of the Legislative Assembly subordinate courts: Supreme Court; Magistrate's Courts; Land Courts |
Regions or States: | 5 island divisions; 'Eua, Ha'apai, Ongo Niua, Tongatapu, Vava'u |
Political Parties and Leaders: |
Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands [Samuela 'Akilisi POHIVA] People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tesina FUKO] Sustainable Nation-Building Party [Sione FONUA] Tonga Democratic Labor Party Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM |
International Law Organization Participation: | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
International Organization Participation: | ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Viliami Va’inga TONE (since 20 April 2021) chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025 FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 email address and website: tongaunmission@aol.com consulate(s) general: San Francisco |
Diplomatic Representation from US: | the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga |