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The history of Tonga is dated from 4000 BC. From the archaeological evidences, you would come to know that the first inhabitants of Tonga came from the Santa Cruz Islands. According to these archaeological evidences, Tonga is the oldest known site in the Polynesia. You will find distinctive Lapita wares here, which are as old as about 2800 years.

A new turn of events imprinted the history of Tonga when the Dutch explorers discovered the northern islands in the year 1616 and the rest of the group in 1643. When James Cook visited Tonga in the year 1773 and 1777 he named them Friendly Islands. With the advent of the British missionaries, the political influence of the British strengthened in Tonga. By the 18th century, Tonga was unified under the tribal leaders. With the unification came extensive maritime empire that traded with the islands like Fiji and Samoa.

As the history of Tonga goes, Tonga was never under colonial influence. Though the British were responsible for the foreign and defense affairs, Tonga remained a self-governing country. A new treaty in 1968 reduced British controls, and complete independence was attained on June 4, 1970. Internal wars continued till the 19th century and it finally ended with the accession of King George Tupou I. He had a lot of contribution in the political history of Tonga because he not only unified the country and gave it a legal code and an administrative system. He was succeeded by King Tupou II who signed a treaty and made Tonga, a British protectorate in the year 1900. Queen Salote Tupou III ruled from 1918 to 1965, when she was succeed by her son, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who ruled until 2006.

Since the 1980s the Tongans demanded for democratic reforms. However, the monarch did not want to dilute his powers. In 2005, two commoners were selected to join the cabinet for the first time. In 2006 Fred Sevele was appointed the first prime minister of the country. This event is an important milestone in the history of Tonga. This marks a step towards the political reforms in the country.

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