From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and
Futuna Islands (French: Wallis et Futuna or Territoire des îles Wallis
et Futuna, Fakauvea and Fakafutuna: Uvea mo Futuna), is a Polynesian
French island territory in the South Pacific between Tuvalu to the
northwest, Rotuma of Fiji to the west, the main part of Fiji to the
southwest, Tonga to the southeast, Samoa to the east, the New
Zealand-associated state of Tokelau to the northeast and to a more
distant north the Phoenix Islands (Kiribati). (However, Wallis and
Futuna is not part of, nor even contiguous with, French Polynesia.
Wallis and Futuna is located at the very opposite western end of
Polynesia.)
Its land area is 264 km2 with a population of about 15,000. Mata-Utu is
the capital and biggest city. The territory is made up of three main
volcanic tropical islands along with a number of tiny islets, and is
split into two island groups that lie about 260 km apart, namely Wallis
Islands (Uvea) in the northeast, and Hoorn Islands (Futuna Islands) in
the southwest, including Futuna Island proper and the mostly uninhabited
Alofi Island.
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).
Transport and communications
In 1994, the territory had 1,125 telephones in use, had one AM radio
station, and two television broadcast stations. Due to this,
communication costs are high, costing up to ten times as much as western
countries. The island of Wallis has about 100 kilometres (62 mi) of
highway, of which 16 paved, while the island of Futuna has only 20
kilometres (12 mi), none paved.
The territory has two main ports and harbours, Mata-Utu and Leava
(on the island of Futuna), that support its merchant marine fleet
consisting of three ships (two passenger ships and a petroleum tanker),
totaling 92,060 GRT or 45,881 tonnes.
There are two airports, one on Wallis with a paved runway of
2,100 metres (6,900 ft), and one on Futuna with a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi)
unpaved strip. New Caledonia-based Aircalin operates the only commercial
flights that go to Wallis, where it has an office in Mata-Utu. There are
no commercial boat operators.
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