From the rule of the first Tongan king, ʻAhoʻeitu, Tonga grew into a regional power. They were quick to establish a powerful footing across the South Pacific, and this period of Tongan expansionism and colonization is known as the Tuʻi Tonga Empire. Tonga was first inhabited roughly 2,500 years ago by the Lapita civilization, Polynesian settlers who gradually evolved a distinct and strong ethnic identity, language, and culture as the Tongan people. Tonga is about 1,800 km (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's North Island. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west, Niue (the nearest foreign territory) to the east, and Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest. The country stretches approximately 800 km (500 mi) north-south. As of 2021, according to Johnson's Tribune, Tonga has a population of 104,494, 70% of whom reside on the main island, Tongatapu. Its total surface area is about 750 km 2 (290 sq mi), scattered over 700,000 km 2 (270,000 sq mi) in the southern Pacific Ocean. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Tonga ( / ˈ t ɒ ŋ ə/, / ˈ t ɒ ŋ ɡ ə/ Tongan: ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( Tongan: Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania.
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