Geography of Tonga
 | |
| Continent | Pacific Ocean |
|---|---|
| Region | Oceania |
| Coordinates | 20°S 175°W / 20°S 175°W |
| Area | Ranked 174th |
| • Total | 747 km2 (288 sq mi) |
| • Land | 95.98% |
| • Water | 4.02% |
| Coastline | 419 km (260 mi) |
| Borders | None |
| Highest point | on Kao 1,033 metres (3,389 ft) |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 metres (0 ft) |
| Exclusive economic zone | 659,558 km2 (254,657 sq mi) |
Located in
The largest island, Tongatapu, on which the capital city of
Climate
The climate is tropical with a distinct warm period (December–April), during which the temperatures rise above 32 °C (89.6 °F), and a cooler period (May–November), with temperatures rarely rising above 27 °C (80.6 °F). The temperature increases from 23 to 27 °C (73.4 to 80.6 °F), and the annual rainfall is from 1,700 to 2,970 millimetres (66.9 to 116.9 inches) as one moves from Tongatapu in the south to the more northerly islands closer to the Equator. The average wettest period is around March with on average 263 mm (10.4 in).[1] The average daily humidity is 80%. Cyclones can occur from October to April.
| Climate data for Nukuʻalofa (Elevation: 2m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32 (90) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
31 (88) |
32 (90) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.4 (84.9) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.6 (85.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
26.8 (80.2) |
25.8 (78.4) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.3 (77.5) |
26.4 (79.5) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.7 (83.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.4 (79.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.6 (79.9) |
25.3 (77.5) |
23.6 (74.5) |
22.7 (72.9) |
21.5 (70.7) |
21.5 (70.7) |
22.0 (71.6) |
23.1 (73.6) |
24.4 (75.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.1 (75.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
22.1 (71.8) |
20.3 (68.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
18.6 (65.5) |
19.7 (67.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
22.5 (72.5) |
20.9 (69.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 16 (61) |
17 (63) |
15 (59) |
15 (59) |
13 (55) |
11 (52) |
10 (50) |
11 (52) |
11 (52) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
16 (61) |
10 (50) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 174 (6.9) |
210 (8.3) |
206 (8.1) |
165 (6.5) |
111 (4.4) |
95 (3.7) |
95 (3.7) |
117 (4.6) |
122 (4.8) |
128 (5.0) |
123 (4.8) |
175 (6.9) |
1,721 (67.8) |
| Average rainy days | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 180 |
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
77 | 78 | 79 | 76 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 73 | 75 | 76 |
| Source: Weatherbase[2] | |||||||||||||
Geology
Though administratively divided into the three main island groups of Tongatapu, Ha'apai, and Vava'u (excluding the outlying islands), the Tonga archipelago is actually made of two geologically different parallel chains of islands.
The western islands, such as ʻAta (also known as Pylstaart island), Fonuafo'ou, Tofua, Kao, Lata'iki, Late, Fonualei, Toku, Niuatoputapu, and Tafahi, make up the Tongan Volcanic Arc and are all of volcanic origin.[3] They were created from the subduction of the westwards-moving Pacific plate under the Australia-India plate at the Tonga Trench. The Tongan Islands sit on the Australia-India plate just west of the Tonga Trench. These volcanoes are formed when materials in the descending Pacific plate heat and rise to the surface. There is only limited coral reef development on these islands, except for Niuatoputapu.[3]
The eastern islands are not volcanic and sit above the mostly submerged Tonga ridge that runs parallel to the Tongan Volcanic Arc and the Tongan Trench. Of these islands, only
The Tongan Volcanic Arc has been important in supplying the islands on the Tonga ridge with an andesite tephra soil that has resulted in "an extremely rich soil capable of supporting a high-yield, short-fallow agricultural system." Also, the andesite/basalt from the volcanoes were initially used as "hammerstones, weaving weights, cooking stones, and decorative pebbles for grave decoration."[3] Tafahi island in the far north provided volcanic glass to initial human settlers.[3]
In December 2014 and January 2015, a volcanic island 1 km wide by 2 km long was created adjacent to the island of
Facts
Area:
total: 747 km2 (288 sq mi)
land: 717 km2 (277 sq mi)
water: 30 km2 (12 sq mi)
Coastline: 419 km (260 mi)
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200 m (656 ft) depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
659,558 km2 (254,657 sq mi) and 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
territorial sea:
12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m (0 ft)
highest point:
unnamed location on Kao 1,033 m (3,389 ft)
Land use:
arable land:
21.33%
permanent crops:
14.67%
other:
64.00% (2011)
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Natural resources are fish and fertile soil. Current environmental issues are deforestation 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; and overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations.
See also
References
- ^ "Climate Guides - Plan Your Ideal Holiday Trip". Weather2Travel. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ^ "Nuku'alofa Climate Info". Weatherbase. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f David V. Burley, Tongan Archaeology and the Tongan Past, 2850-150 B.P, Journal of World Prehistory, Vol. 12, No. 3 (September 1998)
- ^ "D news". Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
- ^ "Archived copy". Retrieved 2010-02-17.
Sources
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Department of State- World Factbook
