Nuku'alofa
Nuku'alofa | ||
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Coordinates | 21 ° 8 ′ S , 175 ° 12 ′ W | |
Basic data | ||
Country | Tonga | |
division |
Tongatapu | |
ISO 3166-2 | TO-04 | |
Districts | Kolofoʻou , Kolomotuʻa | |
height | 3 m | |
Residents | 35,200 (2016) | |
Tongatapu Island, with Nukuʻalofa on the north coast
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Nukuʻalofa is the capital and seat of government of the oceanic kingdom of Tonga . The city is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu , just a few centimeters above sea level.
geography
The actual historical center of Nukuʻalofa is Kolomotuʻa ("old town", "old village"). It is located west of Hala Vahaʻa kolo ("village border road"). Kolofoʻou ("New Town", "New Village") is the second of the three villages that make up today's capital; it is east of the street mentioned. The third village is Ma'ufanga , even further east.
history
The origins of the city go back to a fortress . This was first destroyed in 1807 by Finau , chief Ha'apais , and then rebuilt, before it was destroyed again in the following year by Tarki , another chief. When Tonga was reunified in 1845, King George Tupou I declared Nukuʻalofa the capital of Tonga. The name of the city means "the home of love".
After politically motivated riots, which then turned into looting, a large part of the business district of Nuku'alofa burned down on November 16, 2006. The state of emergency that was subsequently imposed was maintained with interruptions until December 2009.
Climate table
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Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Nukuʻalofa
Source: wetterkontor.de
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Economy and tourism
Nukuʻalofa is Tonga's economic center and transportation hub. The main export goods are copra , bananas , vanilla and mostly traditional artisanal products. Tourism is also of great importance. The city has Tonga's largest industrial port and is approximately 25 kilometers from Fuaʻamotu International Airport .
With the ʻAtenisi Institute, Nukuʻalofa owns the only independent university-like educational institution in Tonga. There is also a teacher training college and a hotel management school in the city. Queen Salote College is the oldest girls' school in Tonga.
The main attraction is the Royal Palace made of Norfolk fir . Other attractions include Tonga's only one-way street (Railway Road), the Vuna shipyard, the royal tombs and numerous churches, including the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua and the Centennial Church, which the royal family visits on Sundays.
The city offers the only significant nightlife in Tonga and had the only cinema in the country. There is also a rugby stadium in the city.
population
In 2006 it had 23,658 inhabitants, and in 2010 around 24,000 inhabitants, a good third of the inhabitants of the main island of Tongatapu and almost a quarter of the total population of Tonga. The agglomeration of Nuku'alofa had 34,311 inhabitants in 2006 and around 35,200 in 2016, i.e. almost half of the inhabitants of Tongatapu, or a third of the population of the state of Tonga. The last census in Tonga in 2011 no longer shows individual figures for the capital.
Buildings
sons and daughters of the town
- Soane Patita Paini Mafi (* 1961), Roman Catholic clergyman and bishop of Tonga
gallery
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Total of the villages Kolomotuʻa, Kolofoʻou and Maʻufanga ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: World Gazetteer: Tonga
- ↑ [1] ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 2006 census: total of the Kolomotuʻa and Kolofoʻou districts
- ^ Tonga Tonga National Population and Housing Census 2016. (PDF) Statistics Department Tonga, 2016, accessed April 9, 2018 .
- ^ Tonga 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Tonga Department of Statistics, 2011, accessed August 23, 2017 .