An erupting undersea volcano near Tonga “has been shooting smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet into the sky above the South Pacific ocean,” says an AP story. “Spectacular columns are spewing out of the sea about 6 miles from the southwest coast off the main Tongan island of Tongatapu. Authorities said Thursday the eruption does not pose any danger to islanders at this stage, and there have been no reports of fish or other animals being affected.”

The volcano aside, the most commonly known aspect of life on Tonga is that almost all the natives are lardbuckets. And yet it’s not true that there are more fat-asses per square mile in Tonga than in any other country. An article on TVNZ says that Tonga is actually “the fourth fattest nation on earth, with 90.8% of people in the country overweight. There is no social stigma [about] being big, with obesity traditionally associated with high social status and wealth.”