Tonga Geography - 2005

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

Area:
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km
water: 30 sq km

Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
419 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)

Terrain:
most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m

Natural resources:
fish, fertile soil

Land use:
arable land: 23.61%
permanent crops: 43.06%
other: 33.33% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA

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

Environment - current issues:
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

Environment - international agreements:
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