International Pages > Tongan Genealogy Search
Tongan Genealogy Search
Search the best family history sites of Tonga brought to you by World Vital Records.
Related Keywords:South Pacific, Polynesia, Polynesian, Oceania, Tongatapu, Tonga, Tongan genealogy
Background: Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
History:
Almost two-thirds of the population of the Kingdom of Tonga live on its main island, Tongatapu. Although an increasing number of Tongans have moved into the only urban and commercial centre, Nuku?alofa, where European and indigenous cultural and living patterns have blended, village life and kinship ties continue to be important throughout the country. Everyday life is heavily influenced by Polynesian traditions and especially by the Christian faith; for example, all commerce and entertainment activities cease from midnight Saturday until midnight Sunday, and the constitution declares the Sabbath to be sacred, forever. Tonga is sometimes claimed to have the highest proportion of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) of any state or country outside of Utah. However, the great majority of Tongans are Methodists (cf. Manfred Ernst. Winds of Change. Suva: PCC, 1994, p. 146) with a significant Catholic minority.
Tongans, a Polynesian group with a very small mixture of Melanesian, represent more than 98% of the inhabitants. The rest are European, mixed European, and other Pacific Islanders. There also are several hundred Chinese.
[from Wikipedia]
Population: 116,921 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.6% (male 20,624/female 19,779)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 35,551/female 36,052)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,087/female 2,828) (2007 est.)
Religions: Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
Nationality:
noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan
Ethnic groups: Polynesian, Europeans
Tongan Genealogy Search Info: This search engine currently searches 60 websites related to doing genealogy on Tongan Ancestry.
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