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Wallis () is a Polynesian
atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...
/
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
in the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
belonging to the
French overseas collectivity The French overseas collectivities ( abbreviated as COM) are first-order administrative divisions of France, like the French regions, but have a semi-autonomous status. The COMs include some former French overseas colonies and other French ov ...
(''
collectivité d'outre-mer The French overseas collectivities ( abbreviated as COM) are first-order administrative divisions of France, like the French regions, but have a semi-autonomous status. The COMs include some former French overseas colonies and other French o ...
'', or ''COM'') of
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (), is a French island territorial collectivity, collectivity in the Oceania, South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji to the southwest, Tonga t ...
. It lies north of
Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
, northeast of
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
, east-northeast of the
Hoorn Islands The Hoorn Islands (also Futuna Islands, French: îles Horn) are one of the two island groups of which the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'', or ''COM'') of Wallis and Futuna is geographically composed. The aggregate are ...
, east of Fiji's
Rotuma Rotuma () is a self-governing heptarchy, generally designated a Local government in Fiji, dependency of Fiji. Rotuma commonly refers to the Rotuma Island, the only permanently inhabited and by far the largest of all the islands in the Rotuma Gro ...
, southeast of
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...
,
southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
of
Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, an ...
and west of
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
. Its area is almost with 8,333 people. Its capital is
Mata Utu Mata Utu (; , ) is the capital (political), capital city of Wallis and Futuna, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located on the island of Wallis Island, Uvéa (Uvea), in the district of Hahake District, Hahake, of which it is also the cap ...
.
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
is the predominant
religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
. Its highest point is Mount Lulu Fakahega (). Wallis is of volcanic origin with fertile soil and some remaining lakes. Rainfall is plentiful. It was part of the Tongan maritime empire from around the 13th to 16th century. By that time the influence of the Tui Tonga had declined so much that Uvea became important in itself. The big fortress of
Talietumu Talietumu or Kolo Nui is an Archaeology, 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 ('Uv ...
close to Lotoalahi in Mua was the last holdout of the Tongans until they were defeated. The island was renamed "Wallis" after a Cornish navigator, Captain
Samuel Wallis Post-captain, Captain Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – 21 January 1795) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti. Biography Wallis was born at Fenteroon Farm, near Camelfo ...
, who saw it while sailing aboard on 16 August 1767. On 5 April 1842, the authorities of Wallis Island requested protection by France with a protectorate treaty signed in April 1887. After a
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
in 1959, Wallis became a French Overseas Territory in 1961.


Geography

The island has an area of and a circumference of c. . Its highest point is Mount Lulu Fakahega, which rises . There are also a few large lakes such as Lake Lalolalo. These
crater lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ) is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the Western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is a tourist attraction for its deep blue color and water clarity. T ...
s attest to the island's volcanic origin. Some of the lakes, such as Lalolalo and Lanu'tavake appear as almost perfect circles with straight vertical walls. Wallis Island is located northeast of Futuna and
Alofi Alofi is the capital of the island nation of Niue. With a population of 610 in 2022, Alofi is the second-smallest national capital by population (after Ngerulmud, capital of Palau). It consists of two villages: Alofi North and Alofi South. Th ...
islands which form the Hoorn archipelago. Together with some 15 smaller islands surrounding it, on its huge
barrier reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...
, it forms the Wallis archipelago. Wallis has a fertile volcanic soil and sufficient rainfall to allow subsistence farming. Wallis is subdivided into three districts (north to south): *
Hihifo Hihifo is the main village on the island of Niuatoputapu in the Kingdom of Tonga. Hihifo (which means 'west' in the Tongan language) is situated on the west side of Niuatoputapu and is the main centre for public and government facilities that s ...
: 5 villages: Vailala, Tufuone, Vaitupu, Malae, and Alele * Hahake: 6 villages: Liku, Aka'aka, Mata Utu, Ahoa, Falaleu, and Ha'afuasia *
Mu'a Mua may refer to: *Mu'a (Tongatapu), the ancient capital of Tonga *Mu'a, a village on Niuafoou, Tonga *Mu'a, a village on Eua, Tonga, founded by people from Niuafoou *Mua District Mua (also spelled Mu'a, Uvean for "first") is one of the 5 dist ...
: 10 villages: Lavegahau, Tepa, Gahi, Ha’atofo, Mala’efo’ou, Kolopo, Halalo, Utufua, Vaimalau, and Teesi Sub-equatorial oceanic trade winds make the island hot and humid. The average temperature is around all year round and almost never drops below , and in the rainy season is held in the range. Rainfall is per year, up to in Wallis and Futuna. This rain is likely at least 260 days in a year, and the humidity is 80%. The rainy season lasts from November to April. The same period (November to March), the season of storms, is associated with the passage over the territory of the islands of powerful
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
s. It is followed, in May to October–December, by a cooler and drier season because of the predominance in this period of the southeast
trade winds The trade winds or easterlies are permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere ...
.


Climate


Climate data of Wallis Island

Wallis (Hihifo District) has a
tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Af''). The average annual temperature in Hihifo is . The average annual rainfall is with January as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in April, at around , and lowest in July, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Hihifo was on 29 April 2004; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 14 July 2014.


Climate crisis

Whilst Wallis is high enough to be in no danger of complete submersion due to the rising sea-levels, most of the population lives in coastal settlements which will be affected.


History

Archaeological excavations have identified sites on Wallis dating from circa 1400 AD. It was part of the Tongan maritime empire from around the 13th to 16th century. By that time the influence of the Tui Tonga had declined so much that Uvea became important in itself. Several current, high-ranking Tongan titles, like Halaevalu, trace their descent from Uvea. A legendary large
canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...
, the Lomipeau, was built on the island as a donation to the Tui Tonga. The big fortress of
Talietumu Talietumu or Kolo Nui is an Archaeology, 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 ('Uv ...
close to Lotoalahi in Mua was the last holdout of the Tongans until they were defeated. The ruins of the place are still a tourist attraction. The island was renamed "Wallis" after a Cornish navigator, Captain
Samuel Wallis Post-captain, Captain Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – 21 January 1795) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti. Biography Wallis was born at Fenteroon Farm, near Camelfo ...
, who saw it while sailing aboard on 16 August 1767, following his discovery of
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
. In 1835, Uvea was attacked by a party of armed missionaries from
Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
, who attempted to convert the island to Protestantism by force. In October 1837,
Jean-Baptiste Pompallier Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier (11 December 1801 – 21 December 1871) was the first Roman Catholic bishop in New Zealand and, with priests and brothers of the Marist order, he organised the Roman Catholic Church throughout the country ...
visited, and after negotiations with Lavelua, left a priest and a brother behind, ostensibly to learn the language and establish friendly relations. Four years later they reported that Wallis was a Catholic community. On 5 April 1842, the authorities of Wallis Island requested protection by France. A protectorate treaty was signed in April 1887. During World War II the island's administration was pro-
Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...
until a Free French
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...
from
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
deposed the regime on 26 May 1942. Units of the
US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...
landed on Wallis on 29 May 1942. After a
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
in 1959, Wallis became a French Overseas Territory in 1961.


Demographics

The population of the island was 8,333 in 2018 (72% of the territory's population). Most of the inhabitants speak Uvean (or Wallisian) as their mother tongue.


Culture and religion

Religion ("Lotu") and culture ("Aga'ifenua") are very close in Wallis. Everyday life is heavily influenced by
Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...
n traditions and especially by the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
feasts. Each village has its own patron saint. Each district has its great church. The chief cathedral is the Cathedral of Mata Utu. Almost all the people are
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
("Lotu Katolika"), and there are numerous religious buildings on the island. At their arrival, Catholic missionaries were welcomed by the King Vaimua Lavelua then baptized "Soane-Patita Vaimua". Bishop Bataillon developed close relationships with the royal families. As Private Councillor of Queen Amelia, he established in 1847 the Lano Seminary (the first Catholic seminary of Oceania). Lano celebrated 150 years in 1997. The anniversary was attended by Samoan Cardinal Pio Taofinu'u, who studied there in the 1940s, and a big delegation from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and New-Caledonia. Wallis and Futuna was established as an
apostolic vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...
on 11 November 1935 and promoted to a
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
on 21 June 1966.


Transportation

The only commercial flights to Wallis are operated by the
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
-based
Aircalin Société Aircalin, also known as Air Calédonie International, is the flag carrier of the French collectivity of New Caledonia, with its headquarters in Nouméa. It operates scheduled services from its main hub at La Tontouta International A ...
. There is an Aircalin office in Mata Utu in Hahake.


Education

The island has 12 primary schools,LIVRET D'ACCUEIL Wallis et Futuna
." Wallis and Futuna. p. 22 (22/28). Retrieved on September 14, 2016.
four junior high schools, and one senior high school/sixth-form college.
" Wallis and Futuna. June 24, 2016. Retrieved on September 14, 2016.
*Junior high schools (''collèges'') in Wallis: Mataotama de Malae, Alofivai de Lano, Vaimoana de Lavegahau, and Tinemui de Teesi *The senior high school/sixth-form college is Lycée d'Etat de Wallis et Futuna on Wallis


Museums

Uvea Museum Association Uvea Museum Association is a private museum on the island of Wallis, in the French overseas territory of Wallis and Futuna. Located in the Mata Utu Mata Utu (; , ) is the capital (political), capital city of Wallis and Futuna, an overseas col ...
is a private museum in Mata Utu which records the history of the Second World War on the island.


Notable people

*
Ilaïsaane Lauouvéa Ilaïsaane Lauouvéa (born 1970) is a New Caledonian politician, who from 2009 to 2014 was an elected member of the Congress of New Caledonia representing the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front. Education Lauouvéa was born in 1970 ...
- politician in New Caledonia


See also

*
Hihifo Airport Hihifo Airport is an airport in Hihifo serving Wallis Island in Wallis and Futuna. The airport is 5.6 km from Mata-Utu, the capital city. It was constructed by Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as ...
*
Samoa hotspot The Samoa hotspot is a volcanic hotspot located in the south Pacific Ocean. The hotspot model describes a hot upwelling plume of magma through the Earth's crust as an explanation of how volcanic islands are formed. The hotspot idea came from ...
*
Customary kingdoms of Wallis and Futuna The customary kingdoms of Wallis and Futuna are a special subdivision of the France, French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna. Officially recognized in 1961 by the French state in the Statute of Wallis and Futuna (1961), statute of Walli ...
* Royal Palace of Uvea


References


Bibliography

*E.G. Burrows, ''Ethnology of Uvea'', BPB 1937. * *
Volume I


External links



* ttps://www.angelfire.com/poetry/bopeep/Wallispics.html Pictures of Wallisbr>Flag of `Ueva chiefdomWallis Wordlist at the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database
{{authority control Islands of Wallis and Futuna Volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean Island countries Volcanic crater lakes Former protectorates Western Samoan Volcanic Province