portation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Merchant marine: none

Airports: none; lagoon landings by amphibious aircraft from Western
Samoa

Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________

TONGA

@Tonga:Geography

Location: Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 175 00 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km
water: 30 sq km

Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 419 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone : 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to
May), cool season (May to December)

Terrain: most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral
formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base

Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m

Natural resources: fish, fertile soil

Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 43%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 11%
other : 16% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic
activity on Fonuafo'ou

Environment - current issues: deforestation results 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; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: archipelago of 170 islands (36 inhabited)

@Tonga:People

Population: 107,335 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years : NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate: 0.81% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 26.95 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.14 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population