Tonga is the only Polynesian Kingdom in the world and the only Pacific nation never to be colonized. His Majesty King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV can trace his ancestors back more than 1000 years. Apart from the fascinating history of this ancient civilization, there is also stunning scenery, wonderful reefs and an amazing underwater marine life. Tonga is west of the international dateline where it meets the Tropic of Cancer.  

From the Island of Niuafo'ou in the north, Tonga stretches nearly 1000 kilometers to the Minerva Reef in the south. Tonga consists of 171 islands, spreading over 700,000 square kilometers of the South Pacific. Only 45 of its islands are inhabited. The population is about 100,000 with two thirds of its inhabitants living on the island of Tongatapu. Tonga's inhabited islands form four groups. From the capital Nuku'alofa on Tongatapu in the south; to volcanic and coral islands of the Ha'apai group; to the picturesque waterways of the Vava'u archipelago and to the remote volcanic Niuas in the far north, Tonga provides a choice of distinctly different visitor experiences.  

The Victorian white-framed Royal Palace, completed in 1867, dominates the seafront in Nuku'alofa. Along the rocky coastline at Homua, waves spout over 18m in the air through coral rock, creating one of the most impressive sights in the Pacific. One of Tonga's most intriguing monuments, the Ha'amonga Triathlon, set in a 23-acre National Historic Reserve, was erected around 1200 A.D. At 5 meters high, each coral-lime stone weighs more than 40 tons. Impressive stalactite and stalagmite caves of unknown length, are situated on the coast some 20 km from Nuku'alofa. Every winter the Tongan waters are host to the magnificent humpback whales. Migrating from their summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic -- these whales make their appearance in Tongan waters every June through November.