The decisive area of the country consists of two islands – North and South, which are separated from each other by the narrow Cook Strait. Climate According to Securitypology, most of New Zealand has a temperate oceanic climate (subtropical in the north) with regular rainfall exceeding 1000mm throughout the year. Outside the southern highlands, summers…
Category: Oceania
Tonga
Tonga is located in the South Pacific and is made up of 172 islands (both flat coral islands and high volcanic islands), the most recent of which was only formed in 1995 by volcanic activity. The islands extend over about 700,000 km² of water, 45 of the islands are inhabited. The most important groups of islands in Taonga include Tongatapu, Eua, Vavau and Haapai.
Some volcanoes on Tonga are still active today, for example Falcon Island in the Vavau Archipelago is an intermittently erupting volcano. The lava and ash from the eruption form an island, but it disappears again.
The island of Nukualofa, protected by a coral reef and surrounded by numerous small islets, has a port surrounded by palm trees and a large lagoon. The island of Eua is characterized by forested hills, attractive beaches and high cliffs. The islands of the Haapai archipelago (160 km north of Tongatapu) are arranged almost in a circle, and here you will also find beautiful beaches.
Tonga is one of the most beautiful areas on earth. Unfortunately, Tonga is in an earthquake-prone region. On February 13, 2010 the earth trembled here with a strength of 6.3 on the Richter scale. On February 15th the cyclone “René” swept over the island nation and reached a speed of up to 228 km / h. Since many of the residents do not live in permanent dwellings, but in wooden huts or smaller bungalows, a large part of the villages and towns was devastated.
Although Tonga experiences difficult times again and again, the people and nature recover quickly from these dramatic blows of fate.
By the way, some fruit bats live on Tonga. They resemble bats and fly out during the evening twilight to look for food for themselves and their offspring. Unlike bats, however, the fruit bats do not have echolocation. As a human being there is no need to be afraid of them, fruit bats only eat a vegetarian diet. For more information about the continent of Oceania, please check militarynous.com.
French Polynesia Cruises
TAHITI Excursions around the island Islands are extremely different from each other, so a trip inland or around any island will bring a lot of impressions. In Tahiti, you will visit the harbor from which the discovery of Polynesia by navigators Wallis and Cook began, feed huge eels with your own hands, enjoy the view…
Culture and Attractions in New Zealand
When the Maori culture emerged cannot be precisely defined scientifically. It is believed that the ancestors of the Maori people very likely came from the Polynesian Islands, the Cook Islands, and the other Society Islands. The cannibalized humans brought their own domestic animals and changed the animal world of the country very drastically. Many animal…
Vanuatu 2009
Yearbook 2009 Vanuatu. According to countryaah, the country’s president, Kalkot Kelekele, in June appealed to Parliament and the government to try to overcome the political instability in the country. The policy is characterized by personal power struggles, government transformations and many distrustful votes against incumbent prime ministers. Kelekele proposed eight constitutional amendments, which he believed…
Tuvalu 2009
Yearbook 2009 Tuvalu. According to countryaah, Taiwan has promised to help Tuvalu cope with the consequences of rising sea levels. Tuvalu, which has just over 12,000 residents, is only an average of two meters above sea level. According to some studies, the islands can disappear into the sea in just 30-40 years. Tuvalu belongs to…
Tonga 2009
Yearbook 2009 Tonga. At least 95 people were killed in a ferry accident outside Tonga in August. It was unclear how many people had been aboard the ship. According to countryaah, more than 50 people survived. The accident is believed to have been caused by a high wave that caused the Princess Ashika ferry to…
Solomon Islands 2009
Yearbook 2009 Solomon Islands. During the year, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up that would go through abuses committed in connection with the civil war in 1999-2000. According to countryaah, the Commission’s work began at a ceremony with the participation of South African Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, who led a similar work…
Samoa 2009
Yearbook 2009 Samoa. According to countryaah, Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi, at the beginning of the year, warned in a letter to government officials about corruption, specifically mentioning foreign investors who are buying benefits and depriving the country of huge profits. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for abbreviation WSM which stands for the nation of Samoa. The battle over…
Papua New Guinea 2009
Yearbook 2009 Papua New Guinea. In January, presidential elections were held on the autonomous island of Bougainville since the previous president’s death. The new president was elected James Tanis, who led Bougainville’s revolutionary army in the previous civil war. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for abbreviation PG which stands for the nation of Papua New Guinea. According to countryaah,…
Palau 2009
Yearbook 2009 Palau. According to countryaah, Johnson Toribiong, formerly Palau’s ambassador to Taiwan, took office as the country’s new president in January. He won the election in November 2008 with 51 percent of the vote. In his election campaign, he talked about the importance of Palau becoming more self-sufficient and attracting foreign investors. Also in…
New Zealand 2009
Yearbook 2009 New Zealand. In February, the Government granted three Maori tribes, with a total of about 12,000 persons, compensation for land belonging to the indigenous people but previously seized by the state. Many Maori tribes have now received damages, but for the first time, intellectual property rights were also included in the agreement with…
Nauru 2009
Yearbook 2009 Nauru. In January, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) gave the Naurus government a $ 225,000 grant to start a trust fund. The idea is for the fund to raise capital that will go towards the country’s development. According to countryaah, the money from ADB will also be used to develop the state financial…
Micronesia 2009
Yearbook 2009 Micronesia Federation. In January, Australia provided disaster relief to the island nation, which in December 2008 had been hit by floods caused by abnormally high waves and storms. Groundwater was polluted by salt water, farmland was submerged and nearly 20,000 people were affected by the floods in various ways. In March, the Federation’s…
Marshall Islands 2009
Yearbook 2009 Marshall Islands. According to countryaah, Foreign Minister Tony de Brum was dismissed in February after openly criticizing President Litokwa Tomeing. The minister accused the president of not providing enough support to landowners who were trying to get higher rents from the US Army, which has a base for missile testing on the Kwajalein…
Kiribati 2009
Yearbook 2009 Kiribati. With the support of Australia, the Kiribati authorities began work in early 2009 to find a sustainable way to utilize the country’s scarce freshwater resources. According to countryaah, Kiribati lacks surface water and drought is a major problem. The residents are dependent on rainwater and so-called aquifers (natural groundwater storage) that exist…
Fiji 2009
Yearbook 2009 Fiji. At least eleven people were killed in floods when two hurricanes swept across Fiji in January. About 10,000 people were evacuated after their homes were flooded and state of emergency was declared for large parts of Fiji’s largest islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Large areas of sugar cane were destroyed…
Australia 2009
Yearbook 2009 Australia. Governments in the states of Queensland and Western Australia imposed restrictions on alcohol sales in certain locations in January, including in the tourist town of Broome in Western Australia. The purpose was to stop the spread of alcoholism and lawlessness in Aboriginal communities. The measures were criticized by the Australian Hotel Association…
Oceania Movies, Music and Dance
Oceania Music & Dance In Oceania, music and dance constitute an integrated art form, performed by singing or playing groups who simultaneously dance. Vocal music is more common than instrumental music; however, slot drums of hollowed-out tree trunks and conical trumpets are widespread. In Polynesia, vocal music and dance are based on poetry that is…