Editing History of Tonga (section)

=== Independence (1970) ===

[[File:Tonga 1 Pa'anga 1980 front.jpg|thumb|Tongan 1 [[Tongan paʻanga|paʻanga]] coin depicting Queen [[Salote Tupou III]].]]
[[File:Royal_Tongan_Wedding_of_1976.jpg|thumb|Royal Tongan wedding, 1976]]

On 4 June 1970, protected state status ended under arrangements established prior to her death in 1965 by the third monarch, Queen [[Salote Tupou III|Sālote]].

Tonga joined the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] in 1970, and the United Nations in 1999. While exposed to colonial forces, Tonga has never lost indigenous governance, a fact that makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and boosts confidence in the monarchical system. The British High Commission in Tonga closed in March 2006.

Tonga's current king, [[Tupou VI]], traces his line directly back through six generations of monarchs. The previous king, [[George Tupou V]], born in 1946, continued to have ultimate control of the government until August 2008. At that point, concerns over financial irregularities and calls for democracy led to his relinquishing most of his day-to-day powers over the government.<ref name="Tonga's king to cede key powers">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7530209.stm "Tonga's king to cede key powers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208145840/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7530209.stm |date=February 8, 2011 }}, BBC, July 29, 2008</ref>

Tongans are beginning to confront the problem of how to preserve their cultural identity and traditions in the wake of the increasing impact of Western technology and culture. Migration and the gradual monetization of the economy have led to the breakdown of the traditional extended family. Some of the poor, once supported by the extended family, are now being left without visible means of support.

Educational opportunities for young commoners have advanced, and their increasing political awareness has stimulated some dissent against the nobility system. In addition, the rapidly increasing population is already too great to provide the constitutionally mandated 8.25 acre (33,000&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>) API for each male at age 16. In mid-1982, the population density was 134 persons per square kilometer. Because of these factors, there is considerable pressure to move to the Kingdom's only urban center.