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Archaeological evidence indicates that the islands of Tonga were settled as early as 900 B.C. Dutch navigators discovered the northern islands in 1616 and the rest of the group in 1643. Capt. James Cook visited the islands in 1773 and 1777 and named them the Friendly Islands. English missionaries arrived in 1797 and helped to strengthen British political influence. Internal wars in the early 19th cent. ended with the accession of King George Tupou I (1845–93), who unified the nation and gave it a constitution (1862), a legal code, and an administrative system. His successor, King George Tupou II (1893–1918) concluded a treaty making Tonga a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga remained self-governing, with the British responsible for foreign and defense affairs.
A new treaty in 1968 reduced British controls, and complete independence was attained on June 4, 1970. Tonga is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The king is the head of state and also dominates the partially elected national legislature, which consists of the king's cabinet headed by a prime minister, nine noble members, and nine commoners. The present ruler is King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (1965–), son of Queen Salote Tupou III (1918–65). Since the late 1980s, Tongans have agitated for democratic reforms, but the king has consistently opposed any change that would dilute the monarchy's power. In 2001 it was revealed that as much as $37 million in government funds had disappeared as a result of investment in a Nevada asset management company.
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