Tonga

thumb|300px|right|The flag and national anthem of Tonga.
The Kingdom of Tonga (English pronunciation: /ˈtɒŋɡə/; Tongan: [toŋa]) is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles) in a north-south line. The islands lie south of Samoa, about one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii.
Tonga, the only sovereign monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, has the distinction of being the only island nation in the region to have avoided formal colonization.
The world also knows the islands of Tonga as the Friendly Islands because of the friendly reception accorded to Captain Cook on his first visit in 1773. He happened to arrive at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits to the Tu'i Tonga, the islands' paramount chief, and was invited to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but were unable to agree on a plan.
==Religion in Tonga==
Tonga is a Christian-majority country. The constitution declares that Sunday is a sacred day and will remain so forever. All business and entertainment comes to a halt at midnight on Saturday and can not resume until midnight on Sunday.
According to the 2006 census, Tonga's population is 37% Methodist, 17% Mormon and 16% Roman Catholic. Approximately 0.1% of Tongans are Buddhists.
==References==
*http://www.thedhamma.com/buddhists_in_the_world.htm
*The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained. David N. Snyder, Ph.D., 2006.
*http://www.thedhamma.com/
==External links==
* Wikipedia article about Tonga.
* Wikivoyage article about Tonga.
Category:Buddhism by location
Category:Christian-Majority Countries