Haʻapai is a group of islands, islets, reefs and shoals in the central part of the Kingdom of Tonga, with the Tongatapu group to the south and the Vavaʻu group to the north. Seventeen of the Haʻapai islands are populated.
Pangai is the administrative capital village of the Ha'apai Group and is located on Lifuka.
All the larger islands are in the eastern Lifuka group. The two larger islands are Lifuka and Foa which have 2,968 and 1,485 people respectively in 2006. After the two larger islands are Nomuka and Haʻano which have four villages with a population of 951. To the south of these islands is ʻUiha, which contains two villages with a population of 638, ancient burial grounds and an ancient monument.
The large islands of Tofua (active volcano) and Kao (dormant volcano) are in the far west. The islands of the Kotu group, locally known as Lulunga, are in the southwest of the archipelago. The islands of the Nomuka group, locally known as ʻOtu Muʻomuʻa, are further south.
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