World Map › Oceania › Tonga
Country
Map of Tonga
Oceania · Nukuʻalofa
Tonga spans the Tonga and Niuafo'ou plates. It has 21 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 13 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 23 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 1 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 3.9 out of 10 (INFORM index), a medium level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 3.0 out of 10.
- Capital
- Nukuʻalofa
- Population
- 108,020
- Area
- 749 km²
- Continent
- Oceania
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (2.7 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (4.4 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 201to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 201to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 2to tsunamis
- 8,107to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- EarthquakeHigh
- TsunamiHigh
- Coastal FloodMedium
- LandslideMedium
- VolcanoMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- WildfireVery Low
Volcanoes (21)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- Tofua 2026
- Home Reef 2026
- Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai 2022
- Lateiki 2019
- Tofua Arc at 18.3°S 2019
- Tofua Arc at 20.9°S 2017
- West Mata 2009
- Tafu-Maka 2008
- Curacoa volcano 1979
- Fonualei 1957
- Niuafoʻou 1946
- Fonuafoʻou 1936
- Tofua Arc at 21.3°S 1932
- Late 1854
- Kao 1847
- Kermadec Arc at 24.8°S ?
- Tofua Arc at 21.1°S ?
- Tafahi ?
- Niuatahi ?
- Dugong ?
- Lobster ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1977Tonga Trench · M 7.21 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
18 major tsunamis have reached Tonga since 1900, killing 16 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 2009Tsunami (Samoa) · 22.4 m9 deaths
- 2022Tsunami (Tonga) · 22.0 m7 deaths
- 1917Tsunami (Samoa) · 4.2 m
- 1919Tsunami (Tonga) · 2.5 m
- 2011Tsunami (Japan) · 0.6 m
- 2025Tsunami (Russia) · 0.2 m
- 2004Tsunami (Indonesia) · 0.1 m
- 2010Tsunami (Chile) · 0.1 m
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution