article

Population changes in Tonga: an historical overview and modern commentary

Pacific viewpoint11 (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.
Subjects
Population
Composition of population
Internal migration
Settlement patterns
Production and supply
culture
Tongans
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