'Wallis and Futuna', officially the 'Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands' (
French: ''Wallis-et-Futuna'' or ''Territoire des îles Wallis-et-Futuna'',
Fakauvea and
Fakafutuna: ''Uvea mo Futuna''), is a
Polynesian 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:
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Wallis Islands (Uvea), in the north
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Wallis Island (Uvea)
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Hoorn Islands (Futuna Islands), in the south
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Futuna
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Alofi
Since 2003 Wallis and Futuna has been a
French overseas collectivity (''
collectivité d'outre-mer'', or ''COM''). Between 1961 and 2003, it had the status of a French overseas territory (''
territoire d'outre-mer'', or ''TOM'').
History
Although the
Dutch and the
British were the European discoverers of the islands in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the French who were the first Europeans to settle in the territory, with the arrival of French
missionaries in 1837, who converted the population to
Catholicism. Wallis is named after the
Cornish explorer
Samuel Wallis.
On
April 5,
1842, they asked for the protection of France after the rebellion of a part of the local population. On
April 5,
1887, the queen of
Uvea (on the island of Wallis) signed a treaty officially establishing a French
protectorate. The kings of
Sigave and
Alo on the islands of Futuna and Alofi also signed a treaty establishing French protectorate on
February 16,
1888. The islands were put under the authority of the
French colony of
New Caledonia.
In
1917, the three traditional chiefdoms were annexed to France and turned into the Colony of Wallis and Futuna, still under the authority of the Colony of
New Caledonia.
In
1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory, effective in 1961, thus ending their subordination to New Caledonia.
In
2005 the 50th king, Tomasi Kulimoetoke II, faced being deposed after giving sanctuary to his grandson who was convicted of manslaughter. The king claimed his grandson should be judged by tribal law rather than by the French penal system. There were riots in the streets involving the king's supporters, which were victorious over attempts to replace the king. Two years later, Tomasi Kulimoetoke died on 7 May 2007. Currently, the state is in a six-month period of mourning. During this period, mentioning a successor is forbidden.
[1]
Politics
Main articles: Politics of Wallis and Futuna
The territory is divided into three traditional chiefdoms (''
royaumes coutumiers''):
Uvea, on the island of Wallis,
Sigave, on the western part of the island of Futuna, and
Alo, on the island of Alofi and on the eastern part of the island of Futuna (only
Uvea is further subdivided, into three districts):
(1) formerly called Mua
The capital of the territory is
Matāutu on the island of Wallis, the most populated island. As a territory of France, it is governed under the
French constitution of
September 28,
1958, uses the
French legal system, and suffrage is universal for those over 18 years of age. The French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; the high administrator is appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly.
The head of state is President
Nicolas Sarkozy of France as represented by High Administrator
Xavier de Furst (since
January 18,
2005). The head of government is President of the Territorial Assembly
Patalione Kanimoa (since January 2001. The Council of the Territory consists of three kings (kings of the three traditional chiefdoms) and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly.
The legislative branch consists of the unicameral Territorial Assembly or ''
Assemblée territoriale'' of 20 seats; the members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the
French Senate and one deputy to the
French National Assembly.
Justice is generally administered under
French law by a tribunal of first instance in Mata-Utu, but the three traditional chiefdoms administer justice according to
customary law (only for non-criminal cases). The court of appeal is in
Nouméa, New Caledonia.
The territory participates in the
Franc Zone, and
Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
Geography
Wallis and Futuna is located about two-thirds of the way from
Hawaii to
New Zealand, at .
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 kilometres (106
sq mi) with 129 kilometres (80
mi) of coastline. The highest point in the territory is
Mont Singavi (on the island of Futuna) at 765 metres (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.
Economy
The territory's economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning its livelihood from agriculture (
coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to
Japan and
South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.
The
gross domestic product had in 1995 a
purchasing power parity of about $28.7 million total, about $2,000 per capita. The territory takes in about $20 million per year in revenues against about $17 million in expenditures.
Industries include
copra, handicrafts, fishing, and lumber. Agricultural products include
breadfruit,
yams,
taro,
bananas,
pigs, and
goats. In 1995, about $370,000 worth of commodities (
copra,
breadfruit,
yams,
taro roots, handicrafts) were exported, and about $13.5 million worth of commodities (foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment, fuel, clothing) were imported, primarily from
France,
Australia, and
New Zealand.
The territory uses the
CFP Franc, along with the French territories of New Caledonia and
French Polynesia; the
CFP franc (XPF) is fixed vs. the
euro, at the rate of 1,000 XPF = 8.38 euro.
Banking: In 1991, BNP Nouvelle-Calédonie established a subsidiary, Banque de Wallis-et-Futuna, in the territory. Two years earlier Banque Indosuez had closed its branch at Mata-Utu, leaving the territory without any bank.
Demographics
The total population of the territory at the 2003 census was 14,944 (67.4% on the island of Wallis, 32.6% on the island of Futuna), the vast majority of
Polynesian ethnicity, with a small minority of French descent. More than 16,000 Wallisians and Futunians live as expatriates in
New Caledonia, which is more than the total population of Wallis and Futuna. The overwhelming majority of the people in Wallis and Futuna are
Roman Catholic. They speak both
French and
Wallisian or
Futunian, the indigenous
Polynesian languages. However, French is only spoken by 10% of the population as a first language. Half the total population (both men and women) age 15 and over can read and write.
Culture
The culture of those islands is typically Polynesian. Most notably, the
Music of Wallis and Futuna has a rich tradition.
The
Kailao, often thought of as a
Tongan war dance was imported to
Tonga from 'Uvea.
Transportation and communications
In 1994, the territory had 1,125 telephones in use, had one AM radio station, and two television broadcast stations.
The island of Wallis has about 100 kilometers (62 mi) of highway, 16 paved, while the island of Futuna has only 20 kilometers (12.5 mi), none of it paved. The territory has two main ports and harbors,
Leava (on the island of Futuna), and Mata-Utu, that support its
merchant marine fleet consisting of three ships totaling 92,060 GRT or 45,881 DWT: two passenger ships and a petroleum tanker. There are two airports, one with a paved runway of 2,100 meters (6,890 ft), on the island of Wallis, and one with a 1,000-meter (3,300 ft) unpaved strip on Futuna.
The only commercial flights that go to Wallis are operated by the New Caledonia based
Aircalin. There is an Aircalin office in Mata-Utu on Wallis. There are no commercial boat operators.
Miscellaneous
The territory's data code and
country code (top level
Internet domain) is
.wf. Currently this is suspended in favor of the .fr .nc (Nouvelle Calédonie) data code. Since 2005, it has a University, though Oregon's Office of Degree Authorization lists the school as operating out of London, UK, and unaccredited in the state of Oregon.
[1]
See also
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French overseas departments and territories
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Administrative divisions of France
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Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans
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Vicariate Apostolic of Oriental Oceania
References
1. Been and gone - fit for a King BBC News
External links
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Official website
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Open Directory Project - ''Wallis and Futuna'' directory category
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Map of Wallis and Futuna, with district boundaries
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Information about Wallis and Futuna
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''Uvea mo Futuna'' Wallis and Futuna online magazine
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Pictures of Wallis
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