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>

Land

142 sq km

Note

<strong>note:</strong> includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets

Total

142 sq km

Water

0 sq km

1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

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

129 km

Oceania

Highest point

Mont Singavi (on Futuna) 522 m

Lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

13 18 S, 176 12 W

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

0.6 sq km (2022)

Total

0 km

Agricultural land

42.3% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 7% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 35.2% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)

Forest

74.9% (2023 est.)

Other

0% (2023 est.)

No

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

Google Maps

https://goo.gl/maps/CzVqK74QYtbHv65r5

OpenStreetMap

https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/3412448

Oceania

Exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Territorial sea

12 nm

cyclones; tsunamis

NEGL

Polynesia

volcanic origin; low hills

UTC+12:00

number of time zones

1

0-14 years

19.8% (male 1,643/female 1,511)

15-64 years

67.5% (male 5,535/female 5,247)

65 years and over

12.7% (2024 est.) (male 1,023/female 1,005)

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

57.2% (2018 est.)

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

Elderly dependency ratio

19.7 (2025 est.)

Potential support ratio

5.1 (2025 est.)

Total dependency ratio

48.7 (2025 est.)

Youth dependency ratio

29 (2025 est.)

Improved: rural

rural: 99.3% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: total

total: 99.3% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: rural

rural: 0.7% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: total

total: 0.7% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: urban

urban: NA

Polynesian

0.84 (2025 est.)

Female

3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

3.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

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

languages

French

number of languages

1

Female

84.2 years

Male

78.2 years

Total population

81.1 years (2024 est.)

Female

100% (2023 est.)

Male

99.9% (2023 est.)

Total population

99.8% (2023 est.)

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

Female

37.3 years

Male

35.5 years

Total

36.9 years (2025 est.)

Adjective

Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander

Noun

Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders

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

Female

7,781

Male

8,217

Total

15,998 (2025 est.)

0.19% (2025 est.)

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Improved: rural

rural: 94.2% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: total

total: 94.2% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: rural

rural: 5.8% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: total

total: 5.8% of population (2022 est.)

0-14 years

1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over

1.02 male(s)/female

At birth

1.05 male(s)/female

Total population

1.06 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

1.71 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Rate of urbanization

0% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Urban population

0% of total population (2023)

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

Geographic coordinates

13 57 S, 171 56 W

Name

Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)

Time difference

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

see France

Amendment process

French constitution amendment procedures apply

History

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

alternative spellings

WF, Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands, Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna

Conventional long form

Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands

Conventional short form

Wallis and Futuna

Etymology

Wallis Island is named after British Captain Samuel WALLIS, who visited in 1767; Futuna is a local name, and the meaning is unclear

Former

Hoorn Islands is the former name of the Futuna Islands

Local long form

Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna

local long form (fra)

Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna

Local short form

Wallis et Futuna

overseas collectivity of France

none (overseas collectivity of France)

none (overseas territory of France)

Cabinet

Council of the Territory appointed by the administrator superior on the advice of the Territorial Assembly

Chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Administrator Superior Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois de MANHEULLE (since 17 November 2025)

Election/appointment process

French president elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); administrator superior 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 elected by assembly members

Head of government

President of the Territorial Assembly Munipoese MULI'AKA'AKA (since 20 March 2022)

Note

<strong>note:</strong> there are 3 traditional kings with limited powers

<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

note

<strong>note:</strong> the flag of France is used for official occasions

The flag of Wallis and Futuna 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. The flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the canton.

svg

https://flagcdn.com/wf.svg

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Assembly); overseas collectivity of France

none (overseas collectivity of France)

PIF (observer), SPC, UPU

Highest court(s)

Court of Assizes or Cour d'Assizes (consists of 1 judge; court hears primarily serious criminal cases)

Judge selection and term of office

NA

Note

<strong>note 1:</strong> appeals beyond the Court of Assizes are heard before the Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel (in Noumea, New Caledonia)<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> justice is generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the 3 traditional kings administer customary law

Subordinate courts

courts of first instance; labor court

French civil law

Electoral system

proportional representation

Legislative structure

unicameral

Legislature name

Territorial Assembly (Assembl&eacute;e territoriale)

Most recent election date

3/20/2022

Note

<strong>note:</strong> 1 senator is indirectly elected to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term, and 1 deputy is directly elected to the French National Assembly for a 5-year term

Number of seats

20 (directly elected)

Parties elected and seats per party

Ofa mo'oni ki tou fenua (2); Mauli fetokoniaki (2); 1 seat each from 16 other lists

Scope of elections

full renewal

Term in office

5 years

red, white

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

note

<strong>note:</strong> often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July 1789 and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are <em>la Fête nationale</em> (National Holiday) and <em>le Quatorze Juillet</em> (14th of July)

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

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

Monday

18 years of age; universal

No

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

Expenditures

$34.18 million (2015 est.)

Revenues

$32.54 million (2015 est.)

code

XPF

name

CFP franc (XPF) [₣]

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

Currency

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

104.711 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

100.88 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

113.474 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

110.347 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

110.31 (2024 est.)

seats (2023)

note

<strong>note:</strong> top export commodities based on value in dollars over $500,000

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

note

<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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

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

note

<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber

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

Percent of population

45.8% (2021 est.)

#####

+681

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

26 (2021 est.)

Total subscriptions

3,000 (2021 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

107 (2023)

Total subscriptions

12,200 (2023)

2 (2025)

Right

By type

general cargo 1

Total

1 (2023)

Key ports

Mata-Utu

Large

0

Medium

0

Ports with oil terminals

0

Small

0

Total ports

1 (2024)

Very small

1

F

defense is the responsibility of France

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