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Updates:

Sorin Cosoveanu sent me data from source [4].

Update 13 to Geopolitical Entities and Codes (formerly FIPS 10-4) is dated 2013”N09ŒŽ30“ú. It provides FIPS codes for the five divisions, superseding the FIPS codes for the three island groups.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter I-8, published on 2007”N04ŒŽ17“ú, has new ISO division codes for Tonga. They are shown in the table below. International standard ISO 3166-2, as originally published (1998”N12ŒŽ15“ú), mentioned that there were five divisions, but declined to list them. It said they were "not relevant". An even earlier version, ISO/DIS 3166-2 (draft international standard), showed three island groups with their codes.

Country overview:

Tonga became a protectorate of Great Britain on 1900”N05ŒŽ18“ú, formalizing a previous agreement. Great Britain abandoned the relationship on 1970”N06ŒŽ04“ú, leaving Tonga completely independent.

Other names of country:

1. Danish: Tonga
2. Dutch: Tonga, Koninkrijk Tonga (formal)
3. English: Kingdom of Tonga (formal), Friendly Islands (obsolete), Toga (obsolete)
4. Finnish: Tonga
5. French: Tonga fp
6. German: Tonga n
7. Italian: Tonga
8. Norwegian: Tonga, Kongeriket Tonga (formal)
9. Portuguese: Tonga n (m in Brazil), Reino m do Tonga (formal)
10. Russian: Королевство Тонга (formal)
11. Spanish: Tonga, Reino m de Tonga (formal)
12. Swedish: Tonga
13. Turkish: Tonga Krallığı (formal)
14. Tonga: Pule 'anga Tonga (formal)

Origin of name:

shortened form of Tongatabu, from tonga: island, tabu: sacred

Primary subdivisions:

Tonga is divided into five divisions.

Further subdivisions:

See the Districts of Tonga page.

The divisions are subdivided into 23 districts. Some sources list three island groups instead of five divisions. In this scheme, Tongatapu includes 'Eua and Niuas.

Territorial extent:

1. Ha'apai includes the islands of the Ha'apai group, from Hunga Ha'apai to Kelefesia to Ha'ano to Kao. The largest are Lifuka and Tofua.
2. 'Eua includes 'Eua Island.
3. Niuas includes Niuatoputapu, Niuafo'ou, and Tafahi.
4. Tongatapu includes the Tongatapu Group, consisting of Tongatapu, 'Euaiki, and smaller islands, and 'Ata Island to the south.
5. Vava'u includes the islands of the Vava'u group, from Vava'u to Late to Fonualei.

The UN LOCODE page for Tonga lists locations in the country, some of them with their latitudes and longitudes, some with their ISO 3166-2 codes for their subdivisions. This information can be put together to approximate the territorial extent of subdivisions.

Other names of subdivisions:

Niuas: Ongo Niua (variant)

Population history:

Sources:

1. [1] 1979 Demographic Yearbook , 31st Ed. Statistical Office, United Nations, New York, 1980 (retrieved 2011”N12ŒŽ28“ú).
2. [2] The Tonga department of statistics website had preliminary 2006 census data (retrieved 2007”N07ŒŽ14“ú).
3. [3] Tonga National Population Census 2006 (retrieved 2011”N12ŒŽ28“ú).
4. [4] Tonga 2011 Census of Population and Housing , Vol. 1: Basic Tables and Administrative Report. Statistics Department Tonga, Nuku'alofa, 2013 (retrieved 2013”N12ŒŽ14“ú).