Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
13 18 S, 176 12 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 274 sq km
land: 274 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Area - comparative:
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
129 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C
Terrain:
volcanic origin; low hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 25%
other: 70% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; 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
Geography - note:
both island groups have fringing reefs
More about Wallis and Futuna:
Introduction
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
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