Things you might not know about TONGA

THE tiny island nation of Tonga in the South Pacific has been devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami.

But what do we know about this faraway land?

Here are some facts…

1

TONGA is an archipelago of 169 islands of which only 36 are inhabited. This island nation is scattered over a vast area of ocean about 270,000 square miles. 2

TONGA is the home of the humpback whales. They migrate every year to the warm waters of Tonga to breed, give birth and raise their young.

3

TONGA is the only Pacific country which was never colonised and has a king ( below).

4

SUNDAY is a proper day of rest in Tonga. Conducting any kind of business is banned. You are even prohibited to play sports, exercise or even swim.

5

EXPLORER James Cook visited Tonga in 1773. The local people threw a lavish feast in his honour and Cook was so impressed with the hospitality that he nicknamed it the

“Friendly Islands”.

6

MAIL used to be delivered to the Tonga island of Niuafo’ou by means of a biscuit tin thrown from the post ship to a swimmer. They stopped the system when the mail swimmer was eaten by a shark.

7IN

1963, Tonga issued the world’s first self adhesive stamps. But the stamps were so big that they could not be placed on a normal envelope.

8

TONGA is the second most obese country in the world. Ninety per cent of the population of Tonga is overweight.

9

IN Tonga, if a woman has only sons, she would raise at least one of them as a daughter to help out with chores such as cooking and cleaning. These boys are called fakaleiti. Faka means “in the manner of” or “like” and leiti means “lady”. 10DUE

to its position on the globe, Tonga is the first country to welcome New Year.