What’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai?

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai is a volcanic island, one of Tonga’s Polynesian archipelago of 176 islands. On Jan. 15, 2022, the underwater volcano erupted, causing a Pacific-wide tsunami of about 1 meter (3 feet) that smashed boats in New Zealand, caused an oil spill and two drownings in Peru, and coated Tonga with acidic (but not poisonous) ash. New Zealand and other nations came forward to get water and other supplies to Tonga as quickly as possible.