Last year's volcanic eruption in Tonga attracted global attention. In May 2022, studies confirmed that the eruption was the "largest explosion" recorded in Earth's atmosphere, surpassing any nuclear explosion test and other volcanic eruptions since the 20th century.
On January 14 and 15, 2022, the submarine volcano of Hun'aha Apai Island in the South Pacific island nation of Tonga erupted violently for two consecutive days, and a 1.2-meter-high tsunami struck the capital Nuku'alofa.
The January 2022 eruption had a significant impact on the Pacific:
Tsunami warnings have been issued in the neighbouring countries of Fiji and Samoa.
At 5:10 p.m. on January 15, 2022, the volcano erupted, triggering an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale.
At 11:30 on January 16, tide stations in Chile, Japan and other countries on the Pacific coast detected tsunami waves ranging from 30 cm to 150 cm.
Tsunami waves were detected in the early morning of the 16th in China's coastal waters, of which the largest tsunami amplitude of Zhejiang Shipu Station was about 20 cm.
Honga Ha'apai Island is located about 30 km south of the Hapai Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga, at 20° 32′ 34.8" S, 174° 24′ 21.6" W. There were multiple eruptions in 2014, 2015, 2019 and 20 December 2021.
Volcanic eruptions
geographical location
The Kingdom of Tonga, abbreviated as Tonga, is Oceania, located in the western South Pacific, west of the International Date Line, and bordering Fiji to the west. It consists of the three major archipelagos of Tongatapu, Vava'u and Hapai and the small islands of Ewa and Niua, with a total of 173 islands, of which 36 are inhabited and have no rivers.
The land area is 747 square kilometers, and the area of the marine exclusive economic zone is 700,000 square kilometers. It has a tropical rainforest climate.
In 1845, the Kingdom of Tonga was formed by uniting several islands.
A constitutional monarchy was introduced in 1875,
It became a British protectorate in 1900,
It became independent on 4 June 1970 and became a member of the Commonwealth and the 188th member of the United Nations.
On July 29, 2008, King George Tupou V of Tonga said that he would hand over power to Parliament, relinquish power and move towards democracy, but still retain a constitutional monarchy, the only country in the South Pacific island states to maintain a monarchy.
national flag
It is a horizontal rectangle with a ratio of length to width of 2:1. The flag is red with a small white rectangle in the upper left corner with a red cross in it. Red symbolizes the blood shed by Christ, and the cross represents Christianity.
National anthem: "Song of the Kings of Tonga"
Capital: Nuku'alofa
Population: 100,200 (2021)
Languages: English, Tongan
Currency: Panga
Total GDP: $480 million (2021)
GDP per capita: $4,790 (2021)
Diplomatic relations with China: diplomatic relations established in 1998, at the level of ambassador.
Tongan scenery