Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukuʻalofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the national population, on 260 square kilometres (100 square miles). Based on Google Earth Pro, its maximum elevation is at least 70 metres (230 feet) above sea level along Liku Road at 21 degrees 15 minutes and 55.7 seconds south 175 degrees 08 minutes 06.4 seconds west, but could be even higher somewhere else. Tongatapu is Tonga's centre of government and the seat of its monarchy.
The island is 257.03 square kilometres (99.24 square miles) (or 260.48 square kilometres (100.57 square miles) including neighbouring islands) and rather flat, as it is built of coral limestone. The island is covered with thick fertile soil consisting of volcanic ash from neighbouring volcanoes. At the steep coast of the south, heights reach an average of 35 metres (115 feet), and maximum 70 metres (230 feet), gradually decreasing towards the north.
A beach on the south coast of Tongatapu
Page from the ship's log of Abel Tasman with the description of 't Eijlandt Amsterdam, nowadays Tongatapu [2]
North of the island are many small isolated islands and coral reefs which extend up to 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) from Tongatapu's shores. The almost completely closed Fanga'uta and Fangakakau Lagoons are important breeding grounds for birds and fish as they live within the mangroves growing around the lagoon's shores. The lagoons were declared a Natural Reserve in 1974 by the government.[citation needed]
Climate
Tongatapu has a rather cooler climate than the rest of Tonga as it is the southernmost group of islands in the country. Because of this, fruit production is lower in Tongatapu than it is in the warmer islands in the north.
Tongatapu is known as having one of the highest concentration of archaeological remains in the Pacific. The earliest traces of Lapita pottery found in Tonga was from around 900–850 BC, 300 years after the first settlements in Tonga were established. Archaeologist David Burley discovered the pottery around the Fanga'uta Lagoon, 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away from the Lapita pottery found at Santa Cruz in the Solomon Islands.
Tonga was always the seat of the Tuʻi Tonga Empire, but in an area of distances up to 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), it was often only a symbolic rule. From the first capital at Toloa, around 1000 years ago, to the second capital at Heketā, at the site of the Haʻamonga ʻa MauiTrilithon, none boasts more traditional attractions than the third capital at Muʻa (from 1220–1851) with more than 20 royal grave mounds.
Tongatapu was first sighted by Europeans on 20 January 1643 by Abel Tasman commanding two ships, the Heemskerck and the Zeehaen commissioned by the Dutch East India Company of Batavia (Jakarta). The expedition's goals were to chart the unknown southern and eastern seas and to find a possible passage through the South Pacific and Indian Ocean providing a faster route to Chile. The expedition set sail from Batavia on 14 August 1642. Tasman named the island "t’ Eijlandt Amsterdam" (Amsterdam Island), because of its abundance of supplies.[4] This name is no longer used except by historians.
Commander James Cook, sailing the British vessel Resolution visited the island on October 2, 1773 by some accounts[5] and by other accounts[6] October 1774, returning again in 1777 , with Omai,[7] whereupon they left some cattle for breeding. These were still flourishing in 1789 when Bounty, under Fletcher Christian visited.
The earliest mention of the name Tongatapu (spelled "Tongataboo" in the text) was by James Cook in 1777, as he wrote his memoirs for the Three Voyages Around the World, Volume 1.
British and American whalers were regular visitors to the island for provisions, water and wood. The first on record was the Hope, in April–May 1807. The last known to have called was the Albatross in November–December 1899.[8]
^"Nuku'alofa Climate Info". Weatherbase. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
^Hooker, Brian (2013). "The European Discovery of the Tonga Islands". Terrae Incognitae. 36: 20–27. doi:10.1179/tin.2004.36.1.20. S2CID 140737896.
^"The Kingdom Of Tonga | Three Millennia of History". www.thekingdomoftonga.com. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
^"A Cook's Tour of Tonga". The Captain Cook Society (CCS). Retrieved 2018-05-15.
^Salmond, Anne (2010). Aphrodite's Island. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 291, 412. ISBN9780520261143.
^Langdon, Robert (ed.) (1984), Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific Islands visited by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century, Canberra, Pacific Manuscripts Bureau, p.238-9. ISBN086784471X
^"1996 Tonga Census Administrative Report". Tonga Department of Statistics. p. xii. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
^"Census". Tonga Statistics Department. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
External links
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tongatapu.
The European discovery of the Tonga Islands 2012-04-20 at the Wayback Machine by Brian Hooker
tongatapu, main, island, tonga, site, capital, nukuʻalofa, located, tonga, southern, island, group, which, gives, name, country, most, populous, island, with, residents, 2016, national, population, square, kilometres, square, miles, based, google, earth, maxim. Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital Nukuʻalofa It is located in Tonga s southern island group to which it gives its name and is the country s most populous island with 74 611 residents 2016 70 5 of the national population on 260 square kilometres 100 square miles Based on Google Earth Pro its maximum elevation is at least 70 metres 230 feet above sea level along Liku Road at 21 degrees 15 minutes and 55 7 seconds south 175 degrees 08 minutes 06 4 seconds west but could be even higher somewhere else Tongatapu is Tonga s centre of government and the seat of its monarchy TongatapuSatellite picture of TongatapuGeographyLocationPacific OceanCoordinates21 12 41 S 175 09 11 W 21 21139 S 175 15306 W 21 21139 175 15306ArchipelagoTonga IslandsArea260 48 km2 100 57 sq mi AdministrationTongaLargest settlementNukuʻalofa pop 23 221 DemographicsPopulation74 454 1 2021 Pop density273 57 km2 708 54 sq mi Ethnic groupsTongan majority European Chinese Pacific Islanders Tongatapu has experienced more rapid economic development than the other islands of Tonga and has thus attracted many internal migrants from them Contents 1 Geography 2 Climate 3 History 3 1 People of the Lapita culture 3 2 Europeans 4 Main sights 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksGeography EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Map of Tongatapu The island is 257 03 square kilometres 99 24 square miles or 260 48 square kilometres 100 57 square miles including neighbouring islands and rather flat as it is built of coral limestone The island is covered with thick fertile soil consisting of volcanic ash from neighbouring volcanoes At the steep coast of the south heights reach an average of 35 metres 115 feet and maximum 70 metres 230 feet gradually decreasing towards the north A beach on the south coast of Tongatapu Page from the ship s log of Abel Tasman with the description of t Eijlandt Amsterdam nowadays Tongatapu 2 North of the island are many small isolated islands and coral reefs which extend up to 7 kilometres 4 3 miles from Tongatapu s shores The almost completely closed Fanga uta and Fangakakau Lagoons are important breeding grounds for birds and fish as they live within the mangroves growing around the lagoon s shores The lagoons were declared a Natural Reserve in 1974 by the government citation needed Climate EditTongatapu has a rather cooler climate than the rest of Tonga as it is the southernmost group of islands in the country Because of this fruit production is lower in Tongatapu than it is in the warmer islands in the north Climate data for Nukuʻalofa Koppen Af Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 32 90 32 90 31 88 30 86 30 86 28 82 28 82 28 82 28 82 29 84 30 86 31 88 32 90 Average high C F 29 4 84 9 29 9 85 8 29 6 85 3 28 5 83 3 26 8 80 2 25 8 78 4 24 9 76 8 24 8 76 6 25 3 77 5 26 4 79 5 27 6 81 7 28 7 83 7 27 3 81 1 Daily mean C F 26 4 79 5 26 8 80 2 26 6 79 9 25 3 77 5 23 6 74 5 22 7 72 9 21 5 70 7 21 5 70 7 22 0 71 6 23 1 73 6 24 4 75 9 25 6 78 1 24 1 75 4 Average low C F 23 4 74 1 23 7 74 7 23 6 74 5 22 1 71 8 20 3 68 5 19 5 67 1 18 1 64 6 18 2 64 8 18 6 65 5 19 7 67 5 21 1 70 0 22 5 72 5 20 9 69 6 Record low C F 16 61 17 63 15 59 15 59 13 55 11 52 10 50 11 52 11 52 12 54 13 55 16 61 10 50 Average rainfall mm inches 174 6 9 210 8 3 206 8 1 165 6 5 111 4 4 95 3 7 95 3 7 117 4 6 122 4 8 128 5 0 123 4 8 175 6 9 1 721 67 8 Average rainy days 17 19 19 17 15 14 15 13 13 11 12 15 180Average relative humidity 77 78 79 76 78 77 75 75 74 74 73 75 76Source Weatherbase 3 History EditPeople of the Lapita culture Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Tongatapu is known as having one of the highest concentration of archaeological remains in the Pacific The earliest traces of Lapita pottery found in Tonga was from around 900 850 BC 300 years after the first settlements in Tonga were established Archaeologist David Burley discovered the pottery around the Fanga uta Lagoon 2 000 kilometres 1 200 miles away from the Lapita pottery found at Santa Cruz in the Solomon Islands Tonga was always the seat of the Tuʻi Tonga Empire but in an area of distances up to 1 000 kilometres 620 miles it was often only a symbolic rule From the first capital at Toloa around 1000 years ago to the second capital at Heketa at the site of the Haʻamonga ʻa Maui Trilithon none boasts more traditional attractions than the third capital at Muʻa from 1220 1851 with more than 20 royal grave mounds Europeans Edit Royal PalaceTongatapu was first sighted by Europeans on 20 January 1643 by Abel Tasman commanding two ships the Heemskerck and the Zeehaen commissioned by the Dutch East India Company of Batavia Jakarta The expedition s goals were to chart the unknown southern and eastern seas and to find a possible passage through the South Pacific and Indian Ocean providing a faster route to Chile The expedition set sail from Batavia on 14 August 1642 Tasman named the island t Eijlandt Amsterdam Amsterdam Island because of its abundance of supplies 4 This name is no longer used except by historians Commander James Cook sailing the British vessel Resolution visited the island on October 2 1773 by some accounts 5 and by other accounts 6 October 1774 returning again in 1777 with Omai 7 whereupon they left some cattle for breeding These were still flourishing in 1789 when Bounty under Fletcher Christian visited The earliest mention of the name Tongatapu spelled Tongataboo in the text was by James Cook in 1777 as he wrote his memoirs for the Three Voyages Around the World Volume 1 British and American whalers were regular visitors to the island for provisions water and wood The first on record was the Hope in April May 1807 The last known to have called was the Albatross in November December 1899 8 Historical populationYearPop 197657 411 198663 794 11 1 199666 979 5 0 200672 045 7 6 201175 416 4 7 201674 611 1 1 202174 454 0 2 Sources 9 10 1 Main sights Edit Haʻamonga ʻa Maui Trilithon Nukuʻalofa Capital of Tonga Muʻa Second largest town in Tongatapu Site of the ancient burial mounds and the Papae o Tele a Tombs Langi Tombs of Tongan kings Hule fortress Located in Nukunuku Kolotau Ko Hule Western District of Tongatapu Mapu ʻa Vaea Blowholes in the coral reef on the south western side Hufangalupe Natural landbridge on the south eastern side of Tongatapu Pangaimotu Small resort island close to Nukuʻalofa Landing site of Captain Cook Flying Fox Preserve Located in Kolovai in the western side Taungapeka Haʻamonga ʻa Maui Trilithon Nukuleka possibly the site of first Lapita settlement in Tonga Tupou College first educational establishment in the kingdom located in the eastern district of Tongatapu near MalapoSee also EditList of islands and towns in TongaReferences Edit a b Tonga s population drops to 100 209 Matangi Tonga 24 December 2021 Archived from the original on 24 December 2021 Retrieved 24 December 2021 Nationaal Archief archiefinventaris 1 11 01 01 inventarisnummer 121 scan 85 hdl 10648 877f659e 35ce 4059 945e 294a4d05d29c Nuku alofa Climate Info Weatherbase Retrieved 4 November 2012 Hooker Brian 2013 The European Discovery of the Tonga Islands Terrae Incognitae 36 20 27 doi 10 1179 tin 2004 36 1 20 S2CID 140737896 The Kingdom Of Tonga Three Millennia of History www thekingdomoftonga com Retrieved 2018 05 15 A Cook s Tour of Tonga The Captain Cook Society CCS Retrieved 2018 05 15 Salmond Anne 2010 Aphrodite s Island Berkeley University of California Press pp 291 412 ISBN 9780520261143 Langdon Robert ed 1984 Where the whalers went an index to the Pacific Islands visited by American whalers and some other ships in the 19th century Canberra Pacific Manuscripts Bureau p 238 9 ISBN 086784471X 1996 Tonga Census Administrative Report Tonga Department of Statistics p xii Retrieved 30 December 2021 Census Tonga Statistics Department Retrieved 30 December 2021 External links Edit Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tongatapu Tonga Quick Facts Photographs from Tongatapu Tonga The European discovery of the Tonga Islands Archived 2012 04 20 at the Wayback Machine by Brian HookerCoordinates 21 12 41 S 175 09 11 W 21 21139 S 175 15306 W 21 21139 175 15306 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tongatapu amp oldid 1113037513, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
