
Ha'apai Islands, Tonga
The Ha'apai group is comprised of sixty-two islands. The islands include barrier reefs, shallow lagoons, coral shoals, and even active volcanoes, but most are small low-lying coral atolls. The total land mass of the Ha'apai group is less than 43 square miles, and those islands are spread over less than 4,000 square miles of ocean. There are east-west passes between islands which somewhat separate islands in to groups. However, the Ha'apai islands are most obviously separated into an east and west group. Of the sixty-two islands in the Ha'apai group, only seventeen are inhabited. On those seventeen islands, there are approximately 8,000 people settled in thirty villages. These people take part in culture and the great outdoors because of all the many activities to be found. Among those activities some include whale watching, kitesurfing, sea kayaking, tours, and diving.