ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief historical background and a description of major events in Tonga. It also provides basic political, economic, and social data arranged in the following categories: polity, economy, population, purchasing power parities, life expectancy, ethnic groups, capital, political rights, civil liberties, and status. The chapter discusses the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in Tonga. Tongans do not have the means to democratically change their government. The 1875 constitution grants the king and hereditary nobles a perpetual majority in parliament with a total of 21 out of 30 seats. The government weekly Tonga Chronicle carries some opposition views. There are several private newspapers, including the Times of Tonga, Kele'a, and an outspoken Roman Catholic Church newsletter. Religious freedom is respected in this predominantly Christian society. Long-standing ethnic tensions between Tongans and Chinese immigrants worsened throughout 2001, with numerous cases of racially motivated violence being reported.
