Tonga 2016 Country Review http://www.countrywatch.com Table of Contents Chapter 1 1 Country Overview 1 Country Overview 2 Key Data 4 Tonga 5 Pacific Islands 6 Chapter 2 8 Political Overview 8 History 9 Political Conditions 10 Political Risk Index 26 Political Stability 40 Freedom Rankings 56 Human Rights 68 Government Functions 70 Government Structure 72 Principal Government Officials 79 Leader Biography 80 Leader Biography 80 Foreign Relations 82 National Security 84 Defense Forces 85 Chapter 3 88 Economic Overview 88 Economic Overview 89 Nominal GDP and Components 90 Population and GDP Per Capita 92 Real GDP and Inflation 93 Government Spending and Taxation 94 Money Supply, Interest Rates and Unemployment 95 Foreign Trade and the Exchange Rate 96 Data in US Dollars 97 Energy Consumption and Production Standard Units 98 Energy Consumption and Production QUADS 99 World Energy Price Summary 100 CO2 Emissions 101 Agriculture Consumption and Production 102 World Agriculture Pricing Summary 104 Metals Consumption and Production 105 World Metals Pricing Summary 107 Economic Performance Index 108 Chapter 4 120 Investment Overview 120 Foreign Investment Climate 121 Foreign Investment Index 123 Corruption Perceptions Index 136 Competitiveness Ranking 148 Taxation 157 Stock Market 157 Partner Links 158 Chapter 5 159 Social Overview 159 People 160 Human Development Index 161 Life Satisfaction Index 165 Happy Planet Index 176 Status of Women 185 Global Gender Gap Index 188 Culture and Arts 197 Etiquette 198 Travel Information 199 Diseases/Health Data 208 Chapter 6 214 Environmental Overview 214 Environmental Issues 215 Environmental Policy 217 Greenhouse Gas Ranking 218 Global Environmental Snapshot 230 Global Environmental Concepts 241 International Environmental Agreements and Associations 255 Appendices 279 Bibliography 280 Tonga Chapter 1 Country Overview Tonga Review 2016 Page 1 of 292 pages Tonga Country Overview TONGA Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. It became a British protectorate in 1900, and became fully independent in 1970. Tonga remains South Pacific's last monarchy. For most of the 20th century Tonga was quiet, inward-looking, and somewhat isolated from developments elsewhere in the world. But calls by young, Western-educated Tongans for a more democratic constitution have become increasingly hard to ignore. A public sector strike in 2005, marked by major street demonstrations, expanded into a campaign for political reform. In November 2006, days of political demonstrations deteriorated into a riot, leaving the central business district of the capital Nuku'alofa in ruins. The government declared a state of emergency to restore law and order to the capital. The state of emergency was repeatedly extended, and remained in place in December 2009. In recent times, Tonga's political landscape has focused on the transition to democracy and has been marked by landmark elections. Political progress aside, the small, open economy of Tonga is highly dependent on agriculture, fishing, and remittances sent home by Tongans living abroad. Like many other Pacific Island countries, Tonga is vulnerable to domestic and external shocks. Editor's Note In 2008, Tupou V announced he was voluntarily surrendered most of his power. In practice, the king would now be advised by the prime minister in all matters related to governance. The king would also refrain from personal statements on political issues. The only continuation of monarchical power would prevail in the realm of judicial authority. The statement noted that King Taufau'ahau Tupou V, also known as King George Tupou V, had attempted to persuade his father, the late King Tupou IV, to make democratic changes. On Nov. 10, 2009, the Constitutional and Electoral Commission of Tonga released its final report detailing a proposal for a new system of government to be introduced in 2010. That report recommended the transformation of Tonga -- an absolute monarchy -- into a constitutional monarchy, governed by an elected parliament. The report noted that the King and Privy Council would no longer belong to the executive branch of government, which should itself be answerable to the parliament. The monarch would no longer have the power to appoint the prime minister and members of cabinet at will, but instead, be relegated to a titular role in which such appointment would be made on the advice of the elected legislative body. Tonga Review 2016 Page 2 of 292 pages Tonga Landmark parliamentary elections were ultimately held in Tonga in 2010. These elections marked the transformation of Tonga -- an absolute monarchy -- into a constitutional monarchy, governed by an elected parliament. The death of King Taufau'ahau Tupov V set the path for succession by Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka, who was named as King Tupov VI, and became the new ceremonial head of state in March 2012. The pro-democracy thrust was ongoing in Tonga under the new king and the 2014 elections constituted a test for the young Tongan democracy. Tonga Review 2016 Page 3 of 292 pages Tonga Key Data Key Data Region: Pacific Islands Population: 106501 Tropical; moderated by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool Climate: season (May to December). Tongan Languages: English Currency: 1 pa`anga (T$) = 100 seniti Emancipation Day is 4 June (1970), ANZAC Day is 25 August, Constitution Holiday: Day is 4 November Area Total: 748 Area Land: 718 Coast Line: 419 Tonga Review 2016 Page 4 of 292 pages Tonga Tonga Country Map Tonga Review 2016 Page 5 of 292 pages Tonga Pacific Islands Regional Map Tonga Review 2016 Page 6 of 292 pages Tonga Tonga Review 2016 Page 7 of 292 pages Tonga Chapter 2 Political Overview Tonga Review 2016 Page 8 of 292 pages Tonga History A monarchy was established approximately 1,000 years ago. Under a dynasty of rulers -- known as the Tu'i Tonga and believed to be of divine origin -- the Tongan empire reached its peak in the 13th century. For a brief era Tongan imperial power extended not just over neighboring Fiji and Samoa but also as far as the Hawaiian Islands. However, this empire collapsed amid internal strife, possibly exacerbated by the pressure of population growth that strained the carrying capacity of the islands' limited land area. A prolonged period of political unrest set in, marked by a series of assassinations of the monarch. In 1470, the 24th Tu'i Tonga, Kau'ulufonuafekai, reconsolidated effective rule by creating the office of "hau" (temporal ruler) and bestowing this position on his younger brother Mo'ungamotu'a. The reign of Mo'ungamotu'a marked the accession of the Tu'i Ha'atakalaua dynasty. In the 17th century the sixth ruler of this lineage founded a subsequent ruling dynasty known as the Tu'i Kanokupolu. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries the kingdom of Tonga enjoyed peace and prosperity. Initial contact between Tongans and Europeans took place with the arrival of the Dutch navigators Schoutn and LeMaire in 1616, followed by their countryman Abel Tasman in 1646. The pre-eminent British explorer Captain James Cook made several visits in the 1770s. His party commented on the people's physical grace and gracious manners, and Cook named the archipelago the Friendly Islands. Missionaries arrived soon after, but initially the Tongans strenuously resisted proselytization. In the late 18th century Tonga fell into civil war as a chief named Taufa'ahua challenged the paramountcy of the Tu'i Tonga. The unrest continued into the 1820s. Taufa'ahua eventually defeated the old dynasty and emerged as monarch. In 1826 the Wesleyans established an effective mission, and in 1831 Taufa'ahua accepted Tonga Review 2016 Page 9 of 292 pages Tonga Christianity and renamed himself King George I. King George had a long and productive rule. In 1839 he proclaimed a code of written law-essentially, Tongan customary law modified by biblical and Western precepts. This body of laws, known as the Code of Vava'u, underwent a lengthy process of elaboration and came into full force in all of Tonga's islands by 1850. In 1862 King George issued an emancipation edict, ending the islands' centuries-old feudal system and making all Tongans free citizens. The majority's rise in status from a serf-like position to free commoners, however, nonetheless left the Tongan nobility with a dominant share of entrenched power -- a social disparity that continues to be a source of tension. Tonga's written constitution dates from 1875. The dynasty founded by Taufa'ahua/George I endures to the present day as Tonga's ruling royal house. King George II, the original King George's great-grandson, ruled Tonga in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Queen Salote Tupou III succeeded him after he died in 1918, and she ruled until 1965. Her successor was Prince Tngi Tupou, who took the name King Taufa'ahou Tupou IV. Despite its sovereign constitution, Tonga long remained a British protectorate. At the time of World War I, Tonga relied heavily on British defense support to preclude incursions by German forces. Great Britain continued to control Tongan foreign affairs, defense matters and economic policy until 1970, when Tonga became a fully independent nation and joined the British Commonwealth of Nations. Note on History: In certain entries, open source content from the State Department Background Notes and Country Guides have been used. A full listing of sources is available in the Bibliography. Political Conditions Political Chronology Among the countries of the Oceania, Tonga stands out for its unique form of government which resembles more a feudal European society of the 15th century than a modern democratic society. Tonga Review 2016 Page 10 of 292 pages Tonga In Tonga, the political power is still limited to a small circle of "nobility" that controls the 100,000 "commoners." Of the 30 seats in the country's parliament, only nine are elected through a general election in which all citizens can vote.