Capital city: Nukuʻalofa
Languages: Tongan and English (official)
Population: Above 105,000
Area: 720 Sq. km
GDP per capita: 4,152 in 2011
GDP, current US$: 0 in 2011
Ease of Business Ranking: 62 in 2013
Tonga, is an archipelago comprising 176 islands, Fifty-two of these islands are inhabited and scattered over 700,000 square kilometers of the southern Pacific Ocean. This country is the only island nation in the region to have avoided formal colonization and in 2010, it took step towards becoming a fully functioning constitutional monarchy, after legislative reforms paved the way for its first partial representative elections.
Tonga's economy is heavily dependent on remittances, from the half it's country's population living abroad chiefly in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The royal family and the nobles dominate the monetary sector, telecommunications and the satellite services. Rural Tongans depend on plantation and subsistence agriculture. Tourism industry is undeveloped; state has recognized that tourism can play a major part and have taken steps to improve it.
In contrast to other Pacific island countries, there is no customary land in Tonga. Tonga practices a somewhat feudal system of land ownership. All land in Tonga belongs to the King, and then the King may grant to nobles and titular chiefs one or more estates to become their hereditary estate. The ownership of the said estate is passed only to the male members of the family or clan. Every male over 16 years old is entitled to 8.25 acres of agricultural land and a small allotment to build his house. Foreigners may lease land for up to 99 years, subject to the approval of the Cabinet. Estate holders are allowed to lease only five percent of the total area of their estate. It is not permitted to sell any land.