Wallis and Futuna Geography Profile 2008

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: 7.14%
permanent crops: 35.71%
other: 57.15% (2005)

Irrigated land

NA

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