Wallis and Futuna (France)
Updated: Sep 9, 2022
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Country Name
Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands.
Location
Wallis and Futuna is a French island collectivity in the South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji to the southwest, Tonga to the southeast, Samoa to the east, and Tokelau to the northeast.
Capital
Matā'Utu.
Reason for Naming the country
They named the islands of Futuna "Hoornse Eylanden" after the Dutch town of Hoorn where they hailed from. This was later translated into French as "Isles de Horne." The Wallis Islands are named after the British explorer Samuel Wallis, who sailed past them in 1767 after being the first European to visit Tahiti.
Flag
Wallis and Futuna is a French territory overseas. and that's why the French flag is the official flag of Wallis and Futuna, but it boasts an unofficial flag as well. The unofficial flag consists of a red background, with the french flag in the upper left corner in the center of the flag, in front of the red background, is a Maltese cross. The red color symbolizes courage while the white color symbolizes purity of ideals.
There exists one variation to the Wallis and Futuna flag. Instead of a traditional Maltese cross in the center of the flag, the variation consists of four inverted triangles. Each triangle has its apex angled toward the center. Three triangles are meant to symbolize three of the native kings of the islands while the fourth symbolizes France as an administrator.
Language
It is a bilingual canton, French and German being its two official languages. Language is spoken on Wallis Island: 82.2% Wallisian, 15.6% French, and 1.9% Futunan.
Language spoken on Futuna: 94.5% Futunan, 5.3% French, and 0.2% Wallisian.
Religion
The overwhelming majority (99%) of the people in Wallis and Futuna are Roman Catholics.
Currency
CFP franc (XPF).
Time Zone
+12:00 GMT.
Government Regime
parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity.
Climate
The climate of Wallis and Futuna is equatorial, hot, and humid throughout the year. There is a hotter and more humid period from November to April and a slightly cooler period from May to October. However, the difference is small: during the day, the temperature ranges from 30/31 °C (86/88 °F) to 28 °C (82 °F) on the Futuna Islands and from 30/31 °C (86/88 °F) to 29 °C (84 °F) on the island of Wallis, which is located more to the north, therefore closer to the Equator.
The best time to visit Wallis and Futuna runs from June to August, since it is the least hot and the least rainy period of the year. However, even in this period, showers and thunderstorms are fairly frequent.
International Phone Code
+681
Internet Code
.wf