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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Tonga
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Independent kingdom, comprising an archipelago of islands in the Pacific southeast of Fiji, which has been a member of the *Commonwealth since 1970. Ruled by a line of sacred kings from at least the 10C, the islands had been noted by various European explorers before the visits in the mid-18C of Captain *Cook, who called them the Friendly Islands. A constitutional monarchy was established in 1845 by King George Tupou I. His descendant Queen Salote became a firm favourite with the crowds watching the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953; an impressively large figure, she was one of the few dignitaries to remain in an open carriage throughout the entire procession in a steady downpour of rain. Tonga was a British protectorate from 1900 and became independent in 1970.
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