Tonga

Tonga is the last remaining Polynesian kingdom, and Tongans will make sure you know it. This is the only Pacific island nation that was never colonized by a European power - the monarchy has maintained an unbroken line for over a thousand years, and the king remains a deeply respected figure. Captain Cook named these the Friendly Islands in 1773, and while some historians suggest the chiefs were actually planning to attack his ships, the nickname stuck because it genuinely fits. Tongans are warm, proud, and absolutely devoted to their church, their king, and their Sunday feasts.

The kingdom consists of 170 islands spread across the South Pacific, of which only 36 are inhabited. The Vava'u island group in the north is one of the world's best places to swim with humpback whales, which migrate here every year between July and October to breed and calve. The Ha'apai group is where Captain Cook first landed, and where the underwater volcanic eruption of Hunga Tonga in January 2022 produced an explosion heard around the world and a tsunami that reached as far as California. Tonga rebuilt with the same resilience that has defined it for centuries.