Tonga |  |
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Tonga | |
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| capital: | Nuku'alofa |
| geographic coordinates: | 21 08 S, 175 12 W |
| time difference: | UTC + 13 |
| daylight saving time: | NO |
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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. |