Blinken visits Tonga; slams China’s actions

Subject : Geography

Section: Mapping

Concept :

Antony Blinken, the United States secretary of state, has pledged to step up support for Pacific nations and reiterated a warning about the perils of “predatory” Chinese investment as he dedicated a new embassy in the island nation of Tonga.

About Tonga

Location: Located in Oceania, Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, directly south of Samoa and about two-thirds of the way from Hawai’i to New Zealand.
Capital: The capital city of Nukuʻalofa is located on the largest island.
Islands: Its 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, are divided into three main groups – Vava’u, Ha’apai, and Tongatapu – and cover an 800-kilometre (500-mile)-long north–south line.
Geology: Geologically the Tongan islands are of two types: most have a limestone base formed from uplifted coral formations; others consist of limestone overlaying a volcanic base.
Climate: Tonga has a tropical rainforest climate (Af).
Volcano: Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano in Tonga is part of the highly active Tonga–Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand north-northeast to Fiji. The island arc is formed at the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate subducts under the Indo-Australian Plate.