Tonga (
/ˈtɒŋ(ɡ)ə/ (
listen), Tongan:
[ˈtoŋa][8]), officially named the
Kingdom of Tonga (
Tongan:
Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a
Polynesian country and also an
archipelago consisting of
169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited.
[1] The total surface area of the archipelago is about 750 km2 (290 sq mi) scattered over 700,000 km2 (270,000 sq mi) of the southern
Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, Tonga has a population of 104,494,
[9][10][11] 70% of whom reside on the main island,
Tongatapu. The country stretches approximately 800 km (500 mi) north–south. It is surrounded by
Fiji and
Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest;
Samoa to the northeast;
New Caledonia (France) and
Vanuatu to the west;
Niue (the nearest foreign territory) to the east; and
Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest. Tonga is about 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's
North Island.