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Wallis & Futuna Geography
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| Location: |
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
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| Geographic coordinates: |
13 18 S, 176 12 W
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| 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
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| Area - comparative: |
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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| Maritime claims: |
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM
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| 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
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| Terrain: |
volcanic origin; low hills
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| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mont Singavi 765 m
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| Land use: |
arable land:
5%
permanent crops:
20%
permanent pastures:
0%
forests and woodland:
0%
other:
75% (1993 est.)
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| 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
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| Geography - note: |
both island groups have fringing reefs
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