| 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: 747 sq km land: 717 sq km water: 30 sq km |
| Area - comparative | four times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries | total: 0 km |
| Coastline | 419 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) |
| Terrain | mostly flat islands with limestone bedrock formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic rock |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Kao Volcano on Kao Island 1,046 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m |
| Natural resources | arable land, fish |
| Land use | agricultural land: 43.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 22.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 15.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 5.6% (2018 est.) forest: 12.5% (2018 est.) other: 44.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 0 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 0 cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou volcanism: moderate volcanic activity; Fonualei (180 m) has shown frequent activity in recent years, while Niuafo'ou (260 m), which last erupted in 1985, has forced evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Late and Tofua |
| Geography - note | the western islands (making up the Tongan Volcanic Arch) are all of volcanic origin; the eastern islands are nonvolcanic and are composed of coral limestone and sand |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
