article

Population changes in Tonga: an historical overview and modern commentary

Pacific viewpoint • 11 (1) • Published In 1970 • Pages: 27-46

By: Walsh, Allen Crosbie.

Abstract

This article is an examination of population growth and especially movement in Tonga. Although there is an historical perspective, the concern is with the present. The author discusses the change in settlement type from dispersed to nucleated, changes in population distribution from 1643 to the present, the current movement from the outlying islands to Tongatapu, and especially into the capital, Nuku'alofa, and mobility and economic development. He feels that this heavy concentration of people on this one island without the possibility of employment or sufficient agricultural land to support them may have dangerous consequences and should be discouraged. He concludes that population movement is not a new phenomenon in Tonga, although the current pace, direction and character have changed.

HRAF PubDate

2006

Region

Oceania

Sub Region

Polynesia

Document Type

article

Evaluation

Creator Type

Geographer

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Martin J. Malone; 1978

Field Date

1963-1964

Coverage Date

ca. 1643-1970

Coverage Place

Tonga

Notes

Allen Crosbie Walsh

Includes bibliographical references

LCCN

64053119

LCSH

Tongans