In 1999, Tonga had a population of approximately 100,000 people. The economy was largely dependent on agriculture and fishing, with tourism also playing a significant role. Foreign relations at the time were mainly focused on other Pacific Island nations, with the majority of foreign aid coming from New Zealand and Australia. Politically, Tonga was an independent monarchy under the leadership of King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV and Prime Minister Baron Vaea. The country was divided into four administrative divisions which were each governed by their own elected representatives. In 1999, Tonga held its first general election since 1970 which saw the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands win an overwhelming majority of seats in parliament. Despite this victory for the Democratic Party, Tonga still had strong institutions such as an independent judiciary and media which helped to protect freedom of speech and expression. See ethnicityology for Tonga in the year of 2018.
Yearbook 1999
Tonga. Visit Countryaah official website to get information about the capital city of Tonga. A new volcanic island saw the light of day just north of the capital Nukualofa in January. The island was 200-300 m long and 30-40 m wide.
- Also see Abbreviationfinder.org to see the acronym of TON which stands for Tonga and other definitions of this 3-letter abbreviation.
King Taufa’ahau Tupou’s brother Prince Fatafehi Tu’ipelehake passed away in April 77 years old.
The March 10–11 parliamentary election was a disappointment for the Human Rights and Democracy Movement (HRDM), which, however, received five of the nine mandates that were at stake. Only nine of Parliament’s 31 members are elected in general elections, where all Tongans over 21 years have the right to vote.
The country decided in August to change the time zone and could therefore be the first country to enter the new millennium. In September, Tonga became the 188th UN Member State. China that threatened to stop the country’s accession because of Tonga’s ties to Taiwan dropped its vote.
Climate
Tonga has a tropical, warm, always humid climate. Temperatures are between 17 and 30 ° C all year round. lie.
Tonga is humid all year round. The annual rainfall increases from 1,600 mm in the south on the island of Tongatapu and on the Haapai Islands over 2,200 mm on Vava’u to 2,500 – 3,000 mm on Niuatoputapu.
