Tonga is thousands of miles away from the mainland, and if it were not for the strong volcanic eruption in January this year, it is estimated that many people would not know about the country. Tonga is the 5th country I traveled abroad, until I went to Tonga to find that the economy here is not very good, but the scenery is so beautiful that people can't help but scream the country, the local people regardless of men and women look very fat, and later learned that the Tongan people are fat for beauty, thin people will be despised, local women can only marry out if they are fat to a certain extent; both men and women do not like to wear pants and choose to wear skirts; in Tonga there are no high-rise buildings, their houses are made of wood, the tallest building is the Tonga Palace, A Victorian three-storey timbered building, so what kind of country is Tonga?
Tonga Volcano
Tonga country overview
The Kingdom of Tonga is referred to as Tonga, also known as the Friendship Islands, consisting of 3 archipelagos of Tonga Tabu Islands, Hapai Islands and Wavawu Islands, a total of 173 islands, of which 36 are inhabited, most of which are coral islands, and those with mountains are volcanic islands, which belong to Oceania, located in the western Part of the South Pacific, west of the International Date Line, with a land area of 747 square kilometers and a marine exclusive economic zone area of 700,000 square kilometers. With a population of 108,000, the capital, Nuku'alofa, is located on the largest island, Tonga Tabu Island, where Tongan and English are the lingua franca of Tonga.
Map of Tonga
Economy of Tonga
Tonga has almost no industry, all industrial products rely on imports, the economy is mainly based on agriculture, fishing and tourism, in 2020 Tonga's GDP is about 500 million US dollars, per capita GDP is about 5020 US dollars, the local currency is called Paanga, 1 US dollar is equal to 2.4 Panga, 1 Panga is equal to 2.82 yuan, ordinary workers' daily wages are about 150 yuan, like the architect can be as high as 250 yuan a day.
The nation and faith of Tonga
Tonga is 98% Tongan, of Polynesian ethnicity, while the remaining 2% are other Pacific Islanders, Europeans, Asians and their descendants. There are about 2,000 overseas Chinese in Tonga; most of tonga residents believe in Christianity, many people in Tonga are devout believers, and the people in the city do not go out on Sundays, and the shops are opened, which is the so-called "Sabbath" of Christians.
Education and health care in Tonga
Tonga public schools provide free education for children aged 6-14 years, Tonga law stipulates that churches can participate in running schools, about 90 per cent of primary schools are founded by the Government and about 75 per cent of secondary schools are founded by churches; In 2015, Tonga's health budget was 30.2 million ppgas, accounting for 6.1% of the total budget for that year.
Transportation in Tonga
As of 2018, the total length of the road is about 950 km; there are 6 seaports, the port of Nuku'alofa on The island of Tongatapu and the port of Na'af on the island of Wawau can dock ocean freighters; there are 6 airports of all sizes, and the domestic routes are mainly operated by Real TONGA Airlines in Tonga.
Diet in Tonga
The Tongans are very rich in food, including cassava, taro, plantain, breadfruit, banana, coconut, sweet potato, various tropical vegetables, as well as pork, chicken, fish, shrimp and so on. The most eye-catching is the local folk noble food "roasted whole pig", and the whole pig feast is also the most grand welcome banquet in Tonga. Tongans eat bananas instead of ripe yellow bananas, but prefer astringent green bananas, the most famous local "wine" is called cava, in fact, cava itself does not contain any alcohol, and there is no difference between the drink.
Tonga cold knowledge
1. Tonga has a history of more than 1,000 years, has experienced 4 dynasties, and is the only monarchy in Oceania.
2. The name of Tonga is derived from the name of the main island in the country, which means "holy place" or "sacred island" in the local vernacular.
3. Located at latitude 21° south and longitude 175° west, the capital of Tonga, Nuku'alofa, is the first city in the world to welcome the sunrise due to its absolute geographical advantages.
3, Tonga people to fat for beauty, thin girls are difficult to marry out, this is very similar to the mainland Tang Dynasty aesthetics, in Tonga the average weight of men is about 180 pounds, the average weight of women is more than 150 pounds.
4, Tonga law stipulates that men can marry two wives, but must be selected from the sisters, relatives and girlfriends of the big wife, if the big wife does not recognize that she is her sister, relative or girlfriend, then the man can not marry, so whether he can marry two wives in Tonga is the key or the big wife has the final say.
5, there is no concept of family planning in Tonga, so the locals generally have more children, and it is very normal to have five or six children.
6. In Tonga, bare-chested people are not allowed in public, nor are vests or suspenders, and if they are found, they are punished with whipping.
7, wearing a grass skirt is a custom handed down from generation to generation in Tongans, ordinary people wear grass skirts are very neat and fresh, while the grass skirts of people with distinguished status are very tattered, and the original grass skirt is a symbol of prominent status in the local area.
8. Tonga is divided into three classes: royalty, nobility and commoner, with different classes corresponding to different rights and life. The king of Tonga was called "Tuy", the nobleman was called "Aegis", and the commoner was called "Tuya".
9, Tonga is in the earth's most active volcanic earthquake around the Pacific Fire Lake, there are many craters, do not look at these craters usually look docile, once the eruption can cause great power and disasters.
10, Tongans like to wear colorful skirts, is sewn with a special cloth called "Tapa", that is, with the local kava tree roots crushed and mixed with water to make bark cloth, and then dyed with paint, and finally cut into a bark skirt, but can also be made into a carpet, etc., this bark cloth is not cheap, I heard that a 10-meter-long bark cloth is sold for almost 500 US dollars.
11, Tonga is the world's first country to issue special-shaped stamps, in addition to squares there are a variety of shapes, such as animal shapes, circles, triangles and so on.
12, The funeral ceremony held by the Tongans will get longer and longer, mainly because they are all indigenous Polynineans, have the same ancestors, belong to each other, and will join the funeral procession on their own after seeing it.
13, Tonga has a large fruit bat called the flying fox, is a unique animal in Tonga, its head is very similar to the head of the fox, and the fur is brownish red and named.
14, Tongans eat like Indians like to scratch with their hands, but do not chat when eating, chat during eating think it is impolite, the locals are most taboo number is 13.
15, Tonga Wawau Islands is the best place to see humpback whales, humpback whales are huge, docile, generally do not hurt people, but also the best place to "dance with whales".
Tourism in Tonga
Tonga is a small country, but it is a beautiful country, has the reputation of "Little Hawaii" in the South Pacific, is one of the recognized "zero pollution" areas in the world, and some people say that Tonga is the last undeveloped paradise in the South Pacific, the local tourism resources are very rich, the most worthwhile tourist attractions are: Ewa Island, Nuku Alofa, La Rotonga Island, Tonga National Museum, Wawau Islands, Inner Asia Rich Town, Tonga National Cultural Center, Hapai Islands, Nuku Alofa Great Market, Tongatapu Island, Three Stone Pagoda, Tonga Palace and much more.
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