Tonga is a country with a colorful past, an intriguing culture, and natural beauty. While studying for this online travel guide, we came across some of the most interesting and entertaining facts about Tonga. Enjoy!

Tonga Has A Disappearing Island.

Fonuafo'ou, which means "New Island" in Tongan, is an appropriate name for an undersea volcano that has come and gone throughout history. Between 1781 and 1865, rumors of a massive shoal in the Ha'apai Group of islands surfaced. In 1867, the British HMS Falcon established that it was a coral reef. By 1885, when Tonga declared the new island, Fonafo'ou, it had grown to 50 meters (164 feet) in height and 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in length. But in 1894, the island disappeared! It resurfaced two years later, reaching 320 meters (1,050 feet) before disappearing again. It reappeared in 1927 before disappearing again in 1949, and so on. Currently, Fonuafo'ou is in the "hidden" phase.

Humpback whales travel almost 3,000 miles to breed and give birth in Tonga.

Swimming with humpback whales is one of the most popular reasons travelers come to Tonga. Every year, between July and October, they travel 4,830 kilometers (3,000 miles) from their Antarctica feeding areas to Tonga's balmy seas. They travel to Tonga to breed, give birth, and raise their offspring before returning to Antarctica. Discover more intriguing facts about whales in What Does Whale Swimming in Tonga Look Like?

Niuas is closer to Samoa than any other island in Tonga.

Tonga comprises around 170 islands and is divided into five administrative divisions. One is The Niuas, a collection of three islands located around 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the nearest Tongan island group, Vava'u. In truth, the Niuas are closer to Samoa than Vava'u, as evidenced by the residents of Niuafo'ou, who speak a Tongan dialect with Samoan overtones. The Complete Guide to The Niuas has additional information on the Niuas.

Niuafo'ou Used to Be Called "Tin Can Island"

Speaking of Niuafo'ou, the island has a fascinating history with its postal service. Because there was no anchorage or landing spot on this rocky island, people had to devise ingenious ways to receive mail and supplies from passing ships. A strong swimmer would swim out to ships, throwing mail stuffed in a biscuit tin for the swimmer to collect. The swimmer would tie the tin box to the end of a long pole and convey it to the ship's crew. In 1931, a male swimmer was purportedly attacked by a shark, ending this unusual postal service. Today, Niuafo'ou postage stamps are legendary among stamp collectors.

Tonga housed the world's heaviest monarch.

There are many fascinating facts regarding Tonga's monarchy, but let us start with the most important: King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV was the world's heaviest king! He still maintains the Guinness World Record for the heaviest king, weighing 208.7 kg (460 lb). Nonetheless, he shed around 40% of his body weight, becoming a health role model for all of Tonga.

James Cook only referred to Tonga as the "Friendly Islands" because a Tongan chief's plan did not work.

Tonga was popularly referred to as the "Friendly Islands" by British explorer James Cook, and the tourism industry in Tonga continues to use this slogan to promote its location! Captain James Cook dubbed the islands after attending a sumptuous feast and ceremony in his honor, organized by a chief in Ha'apai, Finau. Cook was unaware that the feast was a planned ambush to loot his ship. Finau and his noblemen couldn't get their strategy straight and abandoned the operation shortly before the feast.

Tonga is the only Pacific nation that has not been colonized.

Tonga, the pride of the Tongan people, is the only Pacific island nation that has never been colonized. Tongans were engaged in their sort of colonization throughout the tenth century. The Tu'i Tonga (King of Tonga) established Tonga's constitutional monarchy rather than allowing the British to penetrate the country through missionaries. Assisted by an overly friendly British priest, he became Tonga's first prime minister. A Brief History of Tonga provides more information about the country's history.

Doing business, playing sports, or even doing chores on Sundays is illegal.

In terms of constitutional monarchy, the church impacted Tongan laws through the first constitution. One Christian rule still in effect today is the prohibition on conducting business on Sundays, sometimes known as the Sabbath. Of course, to satisfy modern expectations, some enterprises, such as vacation resorts, are exempt. Otherwise, most of Tonga is closed on Sundays to spend time with family, attend church, relax, and dine. Oh, and playing sports, exercising, or performing specific duties on Sundays is also forbidden, so don't do your laundry! Tongan Etiquette: Tonga Customs & Traditions has additional information about Tonga's Sunday customs.

Tongan language has different numbering systems.

Tonga's two official languages are Tongan and English. However, don't assume that knowing how to count to ten in Tongan would suffice. The Tongan language uses multiple numeral systems for different items. For example, counting coconuts uses different terms for numbers than counting fish. The Tongan language has several interesting idiosyncrasies, which we discuss in The Guide to the Tongan Language.

Tonga was home to the oldest radiated tortoise ever recorded.

Tui Malila, the oldest radiated tortoise ever documented, was the pet of Tonga's royal family. In July 1777, Captain James Cook was claimed to have given King George Tupou I a Madagascar tortoise. The tortoise remained with the royal family until its death on May 16, 1966.