Ha'apai

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Ha'apai
Aerial view of Ha'apai
Waters	Pacific Ocean
archipelago	Tonga Islands
Geographical location	20 ° 0 ′  S , 174 ° 40 ′  W Coordinates: 20 ° 0 ′  S , 174 ° 40 ′  W
Number of islands	51 coral islands and 2 volcanic islands
Main island	Lifuka
Total land area	109.98 km²
Residents	6144 (2016)
Map of Ha'apai

Ha'apai is a group of islands belonging to the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific .

geography

Ha'apai consists of 51 coral and two volcanic islands ( Tofua and Kao ) located directly on the Tonga Trench . The archipelago lies between the main island of Tongatapu, 200 km to the south, and the Vavaʻu archipelago, 130 km to the north . 16 of the islands are populated, including the main islands of Lifuka and Foa . The two main places in the Ha'apai archipelago are Pangai on Lifuka and Ha'ano . A total of almost 6150 people live on the Ha'apai Islands (as of 2016).

administration

The archipelago is divided into six administrative districts: Lifuka (capital: Pangai ), Foa ( Lotofoa ), Lulunga ( Haʻafeva ), Muʻomuʻa ( Nomuka ), Haʻano ( Fakakai ), ʻUiha ( ʻUiha ).

history

Traces of settlement of the Lapita culture from the time around 1500 BC have been found on the Ha'apai archipelago .

The first European to visit Ha'apai was Abel Tasman in 1643. Captain James Cook made several stops at the islands in 1774 and 1777. In 1777 he gave them the name "Friendship Islands". On April 28, 1789, it was Fletcher Christian who released Captain William Bligh from the Bounty on the volcanic island of Tofua in a whaling boat.

In 1806 William Mariner came to Tonga on the Port-au-Prince , whose crew were killed on this occasion by Tongan warriors. Mariner lived in Tonga for four years before he was brought back to England by a passing English ship. There he published the book An Account of the Nation of the Tongan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

tourism

From time to time cruise ships visit the islands and stay in the roads . The passengers are then driven to the natural beauties of the group in motorized rubber dinghies.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Tonga Tonga National Population and Housing Census 2016. Statistics Department Tonga, 2016, accessed April 9, 2018 .