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Tonga

Australia and Oceania

Photos of Tonga

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In mid-March 2009, a plume of ash and gas burst out of the ocean as an undersea volcano began to erupt in the South Pacific nation of Tonga. Small sections of the rim of the large volcano had been above water, forming the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha&apos;apai (center). The eruption occurred at two vents, one submerged and the other on Hunga Ha&apos;apai. The eruption pumped out enough rock and ash that by 25 March, when NASA&apos;s Terra satellite captured this image, the submerged vent was surrounded by new land. The new land is the dark mass south of Hunga Ha&apos;apai. It was not present in an earlier image taken on 14 November 2006 (next photo). In this image, clouds cover the space between the new land and Hunga Ha&apos;apai, but the new land connects Hunga Ha&apos;apai with the underwater vent, essentially enlarging the small island. The vent itself is the nearly perfectly circular hole near the southern edge of the new land. Also revealed are some of the other impacts of the eruption. The ocean around the erupting volcano is bright blue, likely colored with ash, rock, and other volcanic debris. The eruption killed or damaged plants on Hunga Ha&apos;apai. In this false-color image, plant cover is red. In 2006, Hunga Ha&apos;apai had supported vegetation, but after the eruption, the island was black. Either the plants were buried in ash or dead in the wake of the eruption. Photo courtesy of NASA.
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Introduction

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Geography

Area

comparison ranking: total 189

Area - comparative

Area comparison map:
Area comparison map

People and Society

Age structure

2023 population pyramid:
2023 population pyramid

Median age

comparison ranking: total 166

Population growth rate

comparison ranking: 213

Birth rate

comparison ranking: 71

Death rate

comparison ranking: 195

Net migration rate

comparison ranking: 227

Maternal mortality ratio

comparison ranking: 61

Infant mortality rate

comparison ranking: total 111

Total fertility rate

comparison ranking: 62

Tobacco use

comparison ranking: total 27

Education expenditures

comparison ranking: 28

Environment

Revenue from coal

comparison ranking: 88

Government

National symbol(s)

Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Tonga:
Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Tonga

Economy

Real GDP growth rate

comparison ranking: 206

Real GDP per capita

comparison ranking: 162

Labor force

comparison ranking: 196

Unemployment rate

comparison ranking: 26

Public debt

comparison ranking: 99

Taxes and other revenues

comparison ranking: 76

Current account balance

comparison ranking: 89

Exports

comparison ranking: 213

Imports

comparison ranking: 207

Debt - external

comparison ranking: 101

Energy

Communications

Internet users

comparison ranking: total 194

Transportation

Airports

comparison ranking: 175

Roadways

comparison ranking: total 191

Merchant marine

comparison ranking: total 136

Military and Security

Military expenditures

comparison ranking: 82

Contents