Uvea ( wls, ʻUvea, french: Royaume coutumier de Uvea) is one of the three official

chiefdom A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...

s (''Royaume coutumier'', ) of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

territory of

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (; french: Wallis-et-Futuna or ', Fakauvea and Fakafutuna: '), is a French island collectivity in the South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji ...

(the other two being Sigave and Alo) in

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

in the South

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

Geography

Overview

Uvea encompasses the whole of Wallis and the surrounding islets. The total area of the kingdom is with a population of 8,333 spread over three districts. The

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

and largest village is Mata Utu, situated on the east coast with a population of 1,029.

Administrative division

The chiefdom counts 3 districts and 21 municipalities: ;Districts: ; Municipal villages: ;Other villageswithout municipal status

History

ʻUvea has probably been inhabited by

Polynesians Polynesians form an ethnolinguistic group of closely related people who are native to Polynesia (islands in the Polynesian Triangle), an expansive region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Sou ...

since the 15th century CE and was then part of the Tuʻi Tonga Empire. The two

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

sites of

Talietumu Talietumu or Kolo Nui is an archaeological site in Wallis and Futuna in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Site Talietumu is situated about southwest of the capital of ''Mata-Utu'' and northeast of Halalo in the Mu'a district on Wall ...

and

Tonga Toto Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

are remains from that period. The kingdom of ʻUvea was founded sometimes in the 15th century and the monarch was titled ''Tuʻi ʻUvea'' (king).Worldstatesmen.org - access date: 2010-10-30
/ref> April 5, 1887 the island became a French

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...

after queen

Amelia Tokagahahau Aliki Amelia Tokagahahau Aliki (1845 - 10 March 1895) was a queen of Uvea, ruling from 1869 until 1895. She was preceded by her aunt Falakika Seilala, and succeeded by her son Vito Lavelua II and Isaake Isaake was a king of Uvea, ruling in rebellion f ...

signed a treaty with France but keeping her royal powers. In 1888 Sigave and Alo also signed the treaty with France thus creating the "Wallis and Futuna Islands Protectorate". In 1961 the status was upgraded to being a

French overseas territory Overseas France (french: France d'outre-mer) consists of 13 French-administered territories outside Europe, mostly the remains of the French colonial empire that chose to remain a part of the French state under various statuses after decoloni ...

(''territoire d'outre-mer'') and in 2003 Wallis and Futuna became a French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer''), but the local royal powers continue.

References

External links

Detailed map of Uvea

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uvea (Wallis And Futuna) Chiefdoms and districts of Wallis and Futuna Kingdoms Island countries