Kingdom of Tonga

Related Categories: City Symbols    World Flags and Symbols    USA State Symbols   

Flag of Tonga Red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner.

Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. - CIA World Factbook.

Patterns of the Ancients: Fijian Tapa Cloth
A traditional art form meets 20th Century economics.
www.lookinglassdesign.com/tapaaesthetics/patterns-p2.htm

Tonga - Fotw
Flag, Coat of Arms.
www.fotw.us/flags/to.html

Tonga - wikipedia.org
The Kingdom of Tonga is an independent archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. It lies about a third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii, south of Samoa and east of Fiji. The islands are also known as the Friendly Islands, the name given by Captain Cook because of the friendly reception he received.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga

Tonga - U.S. Department of State
Almost two-thirds of the population of the Kingdom of Tonga live on its main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into the only urban and commercial center, Nuku'alofa, where European and indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever.
        Tongans, a Polynesian group with a very small mixture of Melanesian, represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European, mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There also are several hundred Chinese.
        Primary education between ages 6 and 14 is compulsory and free in state schools. Mission schools provide about 83% of the primary and 90% of the secondary level education. Higher education includes teacher training, nursing and medical training, a small private university, a women's business college, and a number of private agricultural schools. Most higher education is pursued overseas.
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/16092.htm