The Pacific island nation that uses the paʻanga as its currency is Tonga. The currency’s ISO code is TOP, and one paʻanga is divided into 100 seniti.
Tonga introduced the paʻanga on 3 April 1967, replacing the Tongan pound at a rate of one pound to two paʻanga. The currency is issued and managed by the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, headquartered in the capital, Nukuʻalofa. Unlike a freely convertible currency, the paʻanga is managed against a basket containing the Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar, US dollar and Japanese yen.
The word paʻanga has an unusual history. It refers to the seeds of Entada phaseoloides, also called the box bean. The round seeds were used as ornaments and as playing pieces in a traditional disc-throwing game. Tonga considered calling the new unit a dollar, but chose paʻanga instead.
Do not confuse it with the vatu of Vanuatu, the tala of Samoa or the Fijian dollar. In everyday English, Tongans may casually call the paʻanga a dollar and the seniti a cent, but the official currency name remains paʻanga.