Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands, is a Polynesian French island territory (but not part of, or even contiguous with, French Polynesia) in the South Pacific between Fiji and Samoa. It is made up of three main volcanic tropical islands and a number of tiny islets. The territory is split into two island groups lying about 260 km apart: Wallis Islands (Uvea) in the north, Wallis Island (Uvea), Hoorn Islands (Futuna Islands) in the south, Futuna, and Alofi.
Since 2003 Wallis and Futuna has been a French overseas collectivity(or COM). Between 1961 and 2003, it had the status of a French overseas territory(or TOM). Wallis and Futuna is located about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand, at 13°18?S, 176°12?W.
The territory includes the island of Wallis (the most populated), the island of Futuna, the uninhabited island of Alofi (the population of Alofi was reportedly eaten by the cannibal people of Futuna in one single raid in the 19th century), and 20 uninhabited islets, totaling 274 square kilometers (106 sq mi) with 129 kilometers (80 mi) of coastline. The highest point in the territory is Mont Singavi (on the island of Futuna) at 765 meters (2,510 ft).
The islands have a hot, rainy season from November to April and a cool, dry season from May to October. The rains accumulate 2,500 to 3,000 millimeters (98–118 in) each year. The average humidity is 80% and the temperature 26.6 °C (79.9°F).
Only five percent of the islands' land area is arable land; permanent crops cover another 20%. Deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain), largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source, is a serious problem; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion. There are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources. |
