Tonga was among the first island nations whose capital, Nukuʻalofa, entered the year 2000.
Nukuʻalofa is the capital of Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom in the South Pacific. Its position near the International Date Line means Tonga has long been associated with being among the earliest inhabited places to welcome a new calendar day and a new year.
The Millennium celebrations generated intense global interest because time zones made the year 2000 arrive at different moments around Earth. News coverage often highlighted Pacific islands before turning to major cities in Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Time-zone rules can change, so claims about the “first” place require a specific date and official offset. Tonga moved the position of the International Date Line relative to its clocks in 1999, helping place the country on the side of the line that experiences a new day earlier. This question concerns the year 2000, not every later New Year.