Wallis and Futuna

<p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 18.0pt; background: white;">Around 800 B.C., the first settlers arrived on the islands of Wallis and Futuna, which are a natural midpoint between Fiji and Samoa. Around A.D. 1500, Tongans invaded Wallis, and a chiefdom system resembling Tonga’s formal hierarchy developed on the island. Tongans attempted to settle Futuna but were repeatedly rebuffed. Samoans settled Futuna in the 1600s, and a slightly less centralized chiefdom system formed. Dutch explorers were the first Europeans to see the islands in 1616, followed intermittently by other Europeans, including British explorer Samuel WALLIS in 1767. French Catholic missionaries were the first Europeans to permanently settle Wallis and Futuna in 1837, and they converted most of the population of both islands by 1846. The missionaries and newly converted King LAVELUA of Uvea on Wallis asked France for a protectorate in 1842 following a local rebellion. France agreed, although the protectorate status would not be ratified until 1887. In 1888, King MUSULAMU of Alo and King TAMOLE of Sigave, both on Futuna, signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate; the Wallis and Futuna protectorate was integrated into the territory of New Caledonia the same year. France renegotiated the terms of the protectorate with the territory’s three kings in 1910, expanding French authority.<br><br>Wallis and Futuna was the only French colony to side with the Vichy regime during World War II, until the arrival of Free French and US troops in 1942. In 1959, inhabitants of the islands voted to separate from New Caledonia, becoming a French overseas territory in 1961. Despite the split, a significant Wallisian and Futunan community still lives in New Caledonia. In 2003, Wallis and Futuna became a French overseas collectivity. The islands joined the Pacific Islands Forum as an associate member in 2018, two years after France’s other Pacific territories became full members of the organization.</p>

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

13 18 S, 176 12 W

Oceania

1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

129 km

tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 250-300 cm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees Celsius

volcanic origin; low hills

NEGL

0.6 sq km (2022)

cyclones; tsunamis

both island groups have fringing reefs; Wallis contains several prominent crater lakes

Polynesian

Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language) 58.9%, Futunian 30.1%, French (official) 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 est.)

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

0.19% (2025 est.)

11.63 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.13 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-3.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1,000 MATA-UTU (capital) (2018)

1.71 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.84 (2025 est.)

57.2% (2018 est.)

deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) due to wood as the main fuel source; soil erosion; lack of natural freshwater resources; lack of soil fertility on the islands of Uvea and Futuna

tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 250-300 cm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees Celsius

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Assembly); overseas collectivity of France

overseas collectivity of France

3 administrative precincts (<em>circonscriptions</em>, singular - <em>circonscription</em>) Alo, Sigave, Uvea

French civil law

see France

18 years of age; universal

Left Radical Party or PRG (formerly Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG)<br>Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians)<br>Rally for Wallis and Futuna-The Republicans (Rassemblement pour Wallis and Futuna) or RPWF-LR <br>Socialist Party or PS<br>Taumu'a Lelei <br>Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF

none (overseas territory of France)

none (overseas collectivity of France)

PIF (observer), SPC, UPU

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

<strong>description:</strong> unofficial local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; a small flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper-left corner<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the triangles represent the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator<br><br><strong>history:</strong> the design is derived from a red flag with a white cross that French missionaries introduced in the 19th century

red saltire (Saint Andrew's Cross) on a white square on a red field

red, white

lower-middle-income, agrarian French dependency economy; heavily reliant on French subsidies; licenses fishing rights to Japan and South Korea; major remittances from New Caledonia; aging workforce; import-dependent; deforestation-fueled fragility

coconuts, breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish

copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber

Denmark 35%, Sweden 14%, Netherlands 14%, Pakistan 9%, Poland 7% (2023)

seats (2023)

Fiji 35%, France 32%, NZ 11%, Australia 6%, China 4% (2023)

refined petroleum, prepared meat, poultry, iron pipe fittings, animal food (2023)

publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which broadcasts to France's overseas departments, collectivities, and territories, is carried on the RFO Wallis and Fortuna TV and radio stations (2019)

.wf

2 (2025)

defense is the responsibility of France