Ha'apai

Haapai is the name given to a group of islands, islets, reefs and shoals that is located in the central part of the Kingdom of Tonga, with the Tongatapu group to the south and the Vavau group to the north. Seventeen of the Haapai islands are populated. All the larger islands are in the east, the Lifuka group. The two larger islands are Lifuka and Foa which constitue 4249 people. After the two larger islands are Nukunamo and Haano which have four villages with a population of 728. To the south of these islands is Uiha, which contains two villages, ancient burial grounds and an ancient monument. The huge islands of Tofua (active volcano) and Kao (dormant volcano) towards the far west are a class on themselves.
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Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands Government type: hereditary constitutional monarchy Capital: Nuku'alofa Administrative divisions: 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u Independence: 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate) National holiday: Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970) Constitution: 4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967 Legal system: based on English law Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since 3 January 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister James C. COCKER (since NA January 2001)
cabinet: cabinet consists of 16 members, 12 appointed by the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly including 2 each from the Nobles and Peoples representatives serving three year terms
note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the Cabinet, and two governors
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats - 12 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 2 Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief justice of the Supreme Court) Political parties and leaders: there are no political parties Political pressure groups and leaders: Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman] International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU
chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025
FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024
consulate(s) general: San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga Flag description: red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner More about Tonga: Introduction Geography People Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues