Tongatapu

Tongatapu is the low, fertile main island of Tonga, protected by reefs and lagoons along much of its northern shore and coastal waters. It was a seat of the Tuʻi Tonga, whose authority and relationships reached across the central Pacific. The Tuʻi Tonga’s line held sacred authority, while other chiefly lines exercised important political power. At Muʻa, chiefly tombs and monumental stonework bear witness to a long history of organized power.

In 1643 Abel Tasman visited Tongatapu and traded with islanders, naming it Amsterdam. James Cook returned in 1773 and 1777, recording ceremonies and the complex rank of Tongan chiefs. In the late eighteenth century rival chiefly lines fought for influence, reshaping the political order that had received these voyagers.

The later city of Nukuʻalofa lies here.