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This island nation contains many marine eco-systems, from globally significant coral reefs to mangroves, seagrass areas, seamounts and deep-sea trenches supporting at least 769 fish species, including sharks and rays, as well as whales, dolphins and sea turtles.

The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago of about 150 islands (of which 36 are inhabited) within an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 700 000 sq km. Its total land area is approximately 649 sq km with a maximum height of 1 030 m above sea-level. There are three principal groups of islands that make up the coral line and volcanic islands of Tonga. To the south is the Tonga tapu group, named after the largest island in Tonga, on which the capital Nuku’alofa is located. The Ha’apai group is in the centre, the Vava’u group in the north and the small Niuas group in the far north. The total population of the country in 1999 stood at about 100 000

Papua New Guinea (PNG) comprises the eastern half of the New Guinea mainland, the world’s largest tropical island, along with an archipelago of additional three islands and 600-odd lesser islets and atolls. It lies in the Southwest Pacific Ocean within an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 3 120 000 sq km and has a total land area of 462 243 sq km. The islands are high islands of volcanic origin with a maximum height of 4 496 m above sea level. PNG has an extensive system of water bodies ranging from deltas, lagoons, rivers, marshes and over 5 000 lakes