The official name is Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands.

Located in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Area 274 km2, population 15.7 thousand people. (2003). The official language is French. The capital is the city of Mata-Utu (over 1 thousand people, 1999). The monetary unit is the French (office) Pacific franc.

Member of the Pacific Community (formerly UTK, since 1983).

Wallis and Futuna Islands are located between Fiji and Samoa. Geographic coordinates: 13°18 south latitude and 176°12 west longitude. The Wallis Islands group includes Uvea Island and 22 small islets, and the Futuna (Horn) Islands group includes Futuna and Alofi Islands (uninhabited).

The main islands are volcanic with red earth soils, covered with low hills and surrounded by coral reefs. The length of the coastline is 129 km. The highest point is Singavi Peak (765 m, Futuna). There are no rivers; on Uvea and Futuna there are many streams and springs. There are no natural water sources on Alofi. Small areas of the original dense forests (extant only on Alofi) remain. Pandanus and other tropical plants grow. Many types of fern. There are no endemic mammals.

Sights of Wallis and Futuna

Natural Resources: Rich stocks of fish and fish hatcheries within a 200-mile economic zone.

The climate is tropical. The average annual temperature is +26.6°C. Precipitation: 2500-3000 mm per year. May-October is dry and cool. In November-April (the time of tropical storms) it is hot and rainy.

2/3 of the population is concentrated in Uvea. Polynesians predominate, living in villages scattered along the coast. There are also several hundred Franco-Europeans. In addition to French, the population widely uses Wallisian and other Polynesian languages. 50% of the adult population is literate. There is great emigration to New Caledonia, where St. 17 thousand immigrants from the islands, mainly from Uvea. The latter is historically and culturally linked to Tonga, while Futuna is linked to Samoa, which fuels separatist sentiments.

Almost the entire population is Catholic.

In 1616, the island of Futuna was discovered by Dutch navigators, and Uvea (local name) was named after the English navigator S. Wallis (visited here in 1767). Since 1842 Wallis and Futuna has been a protectorate of France. Since 1961 - an “overseas territory” of France.

The head of state is the President of France. He appoints a Supreme Administrator, who heads the Territorial Council: consists of three Paramount Chiefs and three more members appointed by the Administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly - the local legislative body (20 deputies: 13 from Uvea and 7 from Futuna), elected by universal suffrage for 5 years (next elections in 2007). The traditional system of power is based on the existence of three kingdoms, or domains of paramount chiefs: Wallis (the entire island of Uvea) and Seagave and Alo (both on the island of Futuna). The islands are represented in the French Parliament by a member of the National Assembly and a senator.

Main political parties: Rally for the Defense of the Republic and other analogues of French parties, Wallis and Futuna Union.

The Wallis and Futuna Islands do not have diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation.

GDP per capita is 2 thousand US dollars. The economy is based on semi-subsistence agriculture and fishing. 80% of the population is employed in agriculture, 4% in the public service, the rest in the production of souvenirs, in several sawmills, etc. The population cultivates taro, yams, breadfruit, citrus fruits, vegetables, and raises livestock, especially pigs (highly valued and have ceremonial significance). The coconut tree is cultivated to produce copra for export.

The length of roads is 120 km (16 km of paved roads). Two seaports: Mata-Utu and Leava (Futuna). Maritime connections - mainly with New Caledonia. The international airport (Uvea) has regular flights to Fiji and New Caledonia. There is a local airport on Futuna Island.

Subsidies from the French government, the sale of fishing licenses to foreign vessels and remittances from New Caledonia from islanders are of great importance to the territory's budget.

School education is free. Secondary and higher education can be obtained in New Caledonia or in the metropolis.

The “culture of barter” is preserved: what the land and ocean provides cannot be sold, but is intended only for consumption by family and neighbors.

About the city of Mata-Utu

Mata-Utu is the administrative center of the French overseas territory (French Polynesia) of Wallis and Futuna Islands. The islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, 3420 km east of Australia, between the islands of Fiji and Samoa. The archipelago consists of two groups: Futuna (Horn) and Wallis (Uvea), as well as 15 small atolls. Mata Utu is located on the island of Uvea.
The islands were inhabited as early as 1400 BC by Polynesian tribes. Archaeologists have found fragments of pottery from this period. It is known that the main occupation of the local population was fishing. In the 15th century, after long resistance, they were captured by the inhabitants of the island of Tonga.
In the 17th century, the islands became known to Europeans. In 1616, Dutch navigators, whose ship passed by the island of Futuna, mapped its location and named it after their hometown Hoorn. In 1767, British captain Samuel Wallis anchored off the island of Uvea, which was named after him. However, the British did not land on the island. The islanders had no contact with Europeans until the 1820s, when whalers began landing on Futuna and Wallis to resupply their supplies.
In 1837, French missionaries settled on the island, converting the natives to the Catholic faith. In 1841, the islanders rebelled and the missionaries turned to the French government for help. In 1886 and 1887, first the chiefs of Wallis Island and then the Futunas signed an agreement for a protectorate of France. In 1917, France annexed these lands and declared them a colony, which was administered by New Caledonia.
During the colonial period, copra was produced on the islands, fruit was grown for export, and forests were cleared. Local residents traded with Samoans, purchasing cotton and metal products (for example, agricultural implements) from them.

In 1959, Wallis and Futuna Islands received the status of a French overseas territory. By this time, most of the forests of the archipelago had been cut down, and local residents went to work in other Pacific colonies - New Caledonia and the New Hebrides.
Currently, the main industry of the islands' economy is agriculture and fishing, aimed mainly at providing food for the local population. Copra and breadfruit are exported in small quantities. In addition, the islands receive government subsidies from France, as well as income from the sale of fishing licenses to Japan and South Korea. The high cost of air travel and accommodation on the islands does not withstand competition with other Pacific resorts and slows down the development of tourism on the islands.

The main attractions of the island of Uvea (Woliis) are the beaches located in close proximity to the capital Mata Utu. In addition, on the island you can get acquainted with the architectural monument of the Tongan tribes - the Talietumu fortress, located 9 km from the capital Mata-Utu. The fortress was built in the 15th century and now consists of protective walls made of basalt, several buildings and a kind of sacrificial place. About 6 km from Mata Utu, Lake Lalolalo is surrounded by virgin rainforest and rocky cliffs, home to rare birds. The remains of another ancient city, Tonga Toto, can be seen near this lake.
The island has a tropical climate. The dry cool season lasts from May to October - the most favorable time for relaxation. Typhoons are possible from February to March, but they never reach destructive power. The average annual temperature is about +26C with slight fluctuations throughout the year.
Information about the islands can be found on the official website of the French overseas territories www.outre-mer.gouv.fr.
Wallis and Futuna dialing code: +681.
6 km from Mata Utu there is an airport (Wallis Hififo Airport) that receives flights twice a week from the local airport of Noumea, New Caledonia (Noumea-Magenta Airport). Noumea is served by an international airport (La Tontouta International airport). Airport website http://www.cci-nc.com/tontouta/index.php. The distance between Noumea and Mata Utu is about 1800 km.

Not Norway, not Japan, not Moscow. The most expensive place I've been to is Wallis and Futuna Islands.

This is a French colony. The islands are located 260 kilometers away and, before the advent of the colonialists, had nothing to do with each other: the inhabitants of Wallis are culturally connected with Tonga, and Futuna with Samoa (both are Polynesians). Wallis and Futuna is surrounded by the very successful tourist destinations of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. It is believed that the lack of tourists here is a conscious choice of the locals, but this seems to be disingenuous: with the only way to get there being three flights a week from New Caledonia and Fiji (at horse prices), tourists are impossible on their own.

The Lonely Planet on Wallis and Futuna is 11 pages long and opens with a hilarious joke comparing Wallis and Futuna to Wallis and Gromit - very, very, very funny.

Wallis Island

Wallis looks like New York the day marijuana was legalized.

Let's study the question!

3 weeks before our arrival, a hurricane with a wind speed of 280 km/h swept through Wallis, knocking down all the forest, knocking out windows and blowing off all the roofs.

The IATA:WLS airport tower is also a mess.

Now the locals will have a bad harvest of breadfruit, mango and avocado for several years (fruits have blown away, and in some places trees have been knocked down) and they will not be able to take out credit cards - “the phone doesn’t work because of the hurricane.”

Fallen trees must be collected, burned, and their ash fertilized into new plantings.

Slash-and-burn agriculture, 2013.

Let's take the Wallis tourist map and explore the island.

The Fifth Republic is a subtle superstructure over a more or less traditional way of life. France's tasks include defense-education-medicine; mail-internet-phone; give government jobs so that there is enough for a jeep, imported food in the supermarket and gasoline at 2.1 oiro; and leave it alone.

Everything else is provided by tradition and religion. There are 3 kingdoms on the islands (one on Wallis and 2 on Futuna). Society is traditionally class and clan-based for old Polynesia, the ruling class of rich families (ʻaliki) after the death of the next monarch (or when the previous one is very, very, very tired) chooses a new one. King Wallis' House (on the flagpole to the right is the Wallis and Futuna flag).

There is no national liberation movement and is not expected: there are no fools.

France has a huge problem with food: almost all restaurants and cafes cook according to a schedule: lunch from 12 to 15, dinner from 18 to 22. Outside of these intervals, you can even die on the threshold of a cafe, but there will be no food. My friend told me a good mnemonic rule: if you see Frenchmen on the street with baguettes (they have a tradition of walking around the city with baguettes back and forth around the start of lunch and dinner), rush to the cafe so as not to miss the food.

However, this doesn’t help much on Wallis: there is only one restaurant in the country outside of 3.5 hotels, so leaving the gate without instant noodles is short-sighted. The money here is the same as in French Polynesia and New Caledonia: franc pacifique, 1000 XPF = €8.4.

). The landscape here is predominantly hilly on the high islands of volcanic origin and flat on the low coral, formed by chains of reefs around the high islands. The hills are actually the crumbling cones of extinct volcanoes, surrounded by lava plains.
Since the islands are located next to the Fiji Rift Zone, earthquakes on the islands are not uncommon. The most powerful recent one occurred in 1993, its strength was 6.5 points. There was little bloodshed, but still not without casualties: several people died.
The small islands are practically deserted, the population is concentrated on two large ones - Uvea (two-thirds of the archipelago's population lives here) and Futuna, and on the third - Alofi - people live only from time to time. Some residents of Futuna Island start their own small plots on Alofi, where they also grow tobacco.
Such selective population of the archipelago is due to the lack of drinking water. On some islands there is water in lakes that fill the craters of extinct volcanoes. There are similar reservoirs on the coast, but they are salty. The rivers here are more like streams (there are quite a few of them in Uvea and Futuna).
The islands have fertile red soil, typical of subtropical deciduous forests. But the forests themselves on the islands have almost all been cut down, and the remaining ones continue to be cut down according to the rules of slash-and-burn agriculture. This caused intense erosion of the local soils.
Representatives of the local fauna pose virtually no threat to humans. The fauna of the land as a whole is relatively poor; there are almost no endemic species preserved here. True, periodic invasions of snails make life very difficult for the islanders. The coastal waters are rich in fish and relatively safe: only two poisonous fish are found here (stingray and stonefish), and sharks are rare guests.
Settlement occurred between 1000 and 1500. BC e. tribes from the Sunda Islands. Subsequently, the inhabitants of the archipelago invaded the lands, they overcame the weak resistance of the natives and created the kingdom of Alo on Uvea by the beginning of the 16th century. Later, the kingdom of Sigav appeared here. The population of Futuna Island held onto it for a long time, but at the end of the 17th century. he went over to the Samoans.
The first Europeans to visit the islands were the Dutch navigators Jacob Lemer and Billem Schouten: in 1616 they discovered the island of Futuna. The Dutch gave the island they discovered the name Horn - in honor of their hometown. This name did not take root, and the Dutch did not appear here again, and the French who came later used the local name - Futuna. The Wallis Islands were named after the English navigator Samuel Wallis, who discovered them in 1767 during his voyage around the world.
Only the French decided to settle on the islands in 1837. These were missionaries of the Society of Mary, who converted the natives to Catholicism. The first preacher, Pierre Marie Chanel, was hacked to death by local residents with an ax (in 1954 he was canonized and declared the patron saint of Oceania, and his relics were placed in the churches of Futuna Island). France came to the defense of the missionaries and declared its protectorate over the islands in 1887.
At the beginning of the 20th century. the islands became a colony of France. During World War II, there was a US Air Force military airfield here. Since 1961, the islands had the status of a French overseas territory, and since 2003 they have become an overseas community of France.
The overseas community of Wallis and Futuna Islands includes the Wallis Island group and the Hori (Futuna) group - Futuna and Alofi Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. They are separated by approximately 260 km. The islands appeared as a result of volcanic activity. In ancient times, lava flooded the entire surface of the land, creating lava plains covered with red earth soils.
Residents of the overseas territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands are French citizens with all constitutional rights and obligations. The head of state is the President of France, and in overseas territory he is represented by the supreme administrator, appointed by the president on the recommendation of the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The three kings ruling over the kingdoms of Alo (85 km2), Uvea (77.5 km2) and Sigave (30 km2) sit on the Territorial Council, which has a purely advisory role. Real governance at the level of local communities is in the hands of kings and village leaders, but they most often act as arbitrators in everyday non-criminal conflicts (for other cases there is a court of first instance, based on French laws) and have virtually no influence on the politics and economy of the islands. The position of king is elective, but only representatives of “alik” - ancient clans - can apply for it and participate in elections as voters. France maintains the nominal existence of the kingdoms by paying salaries to the monarchs, their ministers and village chiefs.
The economy of the islands is equally traditional: the ancient custom of “barter culture” has been preserved here: everything that the land and ocean gives is intended not for sale, but for consumption by family and neighbors. Therefore, in the daily life of the islanders, money means little: almost everything that is produced here is immediately consumed.
The majority of the population is engaged in agriculture, represented by the cultivation of coconuts and vegetables, cattle breeding and fishing. Poultry and pig farming play a dominant role: pigs, in particular, are necessary for traditional sacrifices. Crop production is complicated by the fact that only a fifth of the land can be cultivated. Fishing is carried out using primitive means - with canoes, homemade nets, spear guns and darts, and is not carried out on an industrial scale.
Of enormous importance to the budget are subsidies from the French government, the sale of fishing licenses to foreign vessels and remittances from New Caledonia from islanders employed in local enterprises.
Neighbors often move to New Caledonia, another French overseas entity in the southwest Pacific Ocean: about 20 thousand people from the Wallis and Futuna Islands have already settled there, having left in search of work, and this is more than the entire current population of the islands.
The city of Mata-Utu on the island of Uvea is the administrative center of the archipelago and its largest seaport. This settlement is only comparatively large: the population of Mata-Utu is a little over a thousand people, the streets here have no names. The main local attraction is the only supermarket on the islands. The city is also famous for the historical monument Talietumu, or Kolo Nui, a Tongan fortress of the 15th century.

general information

Location: Southwest Pacific.

Official name: Wallis and Futuna, or the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands.

Origin of the islands: volcanic, coral.

Administrative subordination: overseas community of France.

Administrative division: 3 territorial districts (historical kingdoms) - Alo, Sigav and Uvea.

Administrative center: the city of Mata-Utu (Wallis Island) - 1126 people. (2008).

Languages: Wallisian (a variety of Polynesian) - 58.9%, Futunan (a variety of Polynesian) - 30.1%, French (official) - 10.8%, other - 0.2% (2003).

Ethnic composition: Polynesians - 85%, others (including the French from New Caledonia) - 15% (2008).
Religions: Catholicism - 99%, traditional beliefs - 1% (2003).

Currency unit: French Pacific franc.
Largest lakes: Kikila, Lalolalo.

Rivers: Vainifao, Gutuvai, Vai Lasi and Leava.

Major ports: Leava (Futuna), Mata Utu (Uvea).

Major airport: Hihifo International Airport (Uvea).

Numbers

Area (total): 264 km2.

Population: 15,507 people. (2013).
Population density: 58.7 people/km 2 .
Total number of islands: 25 (large ones - Uvea, Futuna and Alofi).

Length of coastline: 129 km.

Highest point: Mount Singavi (Futuna Island, 765 m).

Climate and weather

Tropical sea.

Seasons: warm and wet (November - April), cool and dry (May - October).
Average annual temperature: -26.5°C.

Average annual precipitation: 2500-3000 mm.
Relative humidity: 80%.
Tropical hurricanes, powerful storms (cyclones - in January).

Economy

GDP: $188 million (2005), per capita - $12,123 (2005).

Subsidies from France.

Agriculture: crop production (yam, taro, banana, breadfruit, cassava, coconut, banana, lemon, papaya, pineapple, avocado, mango, orange, grapefruit).
Industry: copra, logging.

Fishing.
Traditional crafts: making wooden sculptures, multi-colored mats, wickerwork, shell necklaces.
Service sector: tourism (extremely limited).

Attractions

■ Natural: Lake Lalolalo and the Vao-tapu (Sacred Forest) conservation area around it, panoramas of the slopes of Mount Lulu Fakahega, forests and beaches of the Horn Islands.
■ Religious: Mata-Utu Cathedral (Uvea), Saint-Joseph Church (Uvea), Saint-Pierre Church, or Petelo Sanele in Futunan.
■ Historical: Talietumu fortress (Uvea, around 1450 AD), tomb of St. Pierre Chanel (Uvea).

Curious facts

■ The local flag of the islands is unofficial. Four white triangles on a red field represent the three historical kingdoms of the islands and the French administration. The design of the flag follows the flag of the French Catholic missionaries who arrived on the islands in the 19th century. On official occasions, the national flag of France is used.
■ Hurricanes often hit the islands, and the most powerful of them was Raja in 1986, when winds reached 137 km/h.

■ In order to stop soil erosion and restore forests on the islands, Caribbean pine has been planted since 1974.
■ The most revered local gods: Tagaloa - god of the sky; Mafuike - the god who brought fire to the islands; animal souls: Feke (octopus), Fonu (turtle) and Tafoloaa (whale).
■ The Polynesian name Uvea is translated from the Wallis language as “a very distant island.” Presumably, the islands were given this name by invaders from Tonga: Uvea was indeed quite far from their islands.
■ In maritime and military affairs, the islands are subordinate to New Caledonia, which has the status of an overseas special administrative-territorial entity of France.
■ An important export of the islands is trochus shells, used for making buttons in Italy. The annual catch of shells is about 20 tons.
■ The total length of roads on the islands is 120 km, of which only 16 km are paved.
■ April 28 is celebrated on the islands as St. Pierre Chanel's Day, when a festive treat is prepared - pigs fried with bananas.
■ The local population explains the absence of inhabitants on Alofi by saying that all the natives were eaten by cannibals from the island of Futuna during a raid in the 19th century.
■ Cattle raising is not popular due to lack of fodder, and a few dairy cows are kept only in the island bishopric.

Islands Wallis and Futuna located in the southern part Pacific Ocean, being the territory of the French Overseas Community. They are two large island groups, located 230 km apart and bordering the territorial waters of Samoa, Tuvalu, Tonga and Fiji.

Peculiarities

Wallis and Futuna are located relatively close to the Fiji Rift Zone, making them susceptible to earthquakes, which occur quite regularly there. The abundance of coral reefs and a huge number of rare marine species is the reason for the increased interest in these places among fans of deep-sea diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. At the same time, the nature of the islands themselves is not so diverse, which is also aggravated by constant deforestation by the local population. The trees and plants are dominated by coconut palms, acacias and psammophila, and mangroves line the shores. The terrestrial fauna is quite poor, but there are many insects and especially mosquitoes, which are carriers of dengue fever. The main areas of activity for the islanders are livestock farming, agriculture and fishing. The profit to the state budget from exported goods is extremely small, so the country lives exclusively on imports and financial support from France. Tourist infrastructure is poorly developed. In general, there are only a few hotels on both island groups, the guests of which are either foreign citizens who arrived here on a business visit, or wealthy tourists who prefer to vacation in exotic and little-known countries.

general information

The main religion on Wallis and Futuna Islands is Catholicism. Territory area 274 sq. km with a population of about 15,000 people. The monetary currency is the French Pacific franc. The islanders speak French. Time zone +12. Local time is 9 hours ahead of Moscow. Telephone code +681.

A brief excursion into history

According to historical data, the Wallis and Futuna Islands were inhabited by Tongan tribes about 1,500 years ago. These lands were discovered by Europeans only in 1616, during the expedition of the Dutch navigators Jacob Lemer and Willem Schouten, when they discovered the Horn Islands. 150 years later, the Englishman Samuel Wallis first dropped anchor off the coast of Uvea Island, calling it Solace Island. The first European settlements began to appear here in 1837. Soon the islands received the status of a United Protectorate under the name "Wallis and Futuna Islands", and some time after the end of the First World War, they were annexed by France.

Climate

The islands are dominated by a tropical trade wind climate characterized by high humidity. It rains throughout the year, and the average air temperature ranges from +24 to +32 degrees. The coldest month is July, and the hottest month is February. From November to April the bulk of precipitation falls, accompanied by strong winds that periodically grow into hurricanes. August is considered the driest month. Any time of the year is suitable for traveling to Wallis and Futuna, except for the period from November to April, but before the trip you should find out in detail the forecast for the coming days, since the weather here is too unpredictable.

Visa and customs regulations

Citizens who do not have a French passport need a visa to enter the country. For this you need to contact the consular section of the French Embassy. There you can also obtain information regarding the list of documents. Registration usually takes place within 10 – 15 days. Transit of foreign and local currencies is possible up to 7,600 euros.

How to get there

Both island groups have one airport, but only one airport operates international flights, Gigifo, on the island of Uvea. All flights are operated by the local company Air Calеdonie International. There are no direct air connections between the islands and Europe. But Wallis and Futuna are connected by air lines with New Caledonia, Tahiti and Fiji.

Transport

There is no public transport as such either in Wallis or Futuna. At the same time, the length of roads is 100 km in the first and 20 in the second. Asphalt pavement for 16 km is present only on the island of Uvea. In addition to taxi services, the few tourists visiting the country have the opportunity to rent a car.

The most interesting

The Wallis Island Group includes one large volcanic island, Uvea, and 22 small islands surrounding it. Translated from the local dialect, its name means “distant island,” which is directly related to the geographical location of this landmass. The central part of the surface of Uvea is covered with craters of extinct volcanoes, which over time transformed into low hills. In the north, majestic landscapes form valleys formed after they were flooded by torrents of fiery lava millions of years ago. Uvea also has more than two dozen lakes and swamps. The soil has a characteristic reddish tint and is not very suitable for growing crops, so the local lands satisfy exclusively the needs of local residents, not corresponding to the volume of crops grown for export. The capital of the Overseas Community of France, Mata-Utu, is also located here, with an airport and the largest seaport in the state. The second largest settlement on the island is the village of Vailala. In total, Wallis (Uvea) is home to two thirds of the country's total population.

The Futuna Island Group, also known as Horn, is located 230 km from the Wallis Archipelago and consists of two main islands, Futuna and Alofi, separated by a strait whose width is just under 2 km. On Futuna there are more than 4,000 islanders, while on Alafi there are only garden plots and plantations for growing tobacco, since it is not intended for permanent residence. The highest peaks, Puke and Kolofau, clearly stand out among the island landscapes, harmoniously complementing the overall landscape. The administrative division of Futuna Island involves two districts, Alo and Sigaw, lying along the Wainifao River and divided into several small villages with a small number of inhabitants. The status of the largest settlement belongs to the village of Ono, where about 600 people live.

Of all the architectural structures of Wallis and Futuna, the church named after the holy martyr Pierre Chanel in the town of Poi, in the eastern part of the island of Futuna, the ruins of a Tongan settlement of the 15th century near the town of Halalo, in the southeast of the island of Uvea, and several Catholic churches in the areas of Alo and Sigav on the same Futuna. Otherwise, the islands are rich only in natural attractions. Among them, the majestic peaks of Mount Lulu-Fakahega, the picturesque lakes Lalolalo and Lunatawake, on the territory of the Wallace Island group, and the snow-white beaches of Faioa Island, opposite Uvea, deserve special attention. The island of Alofi is home to a number of traditional rural huts with electricity supplied to them. These dwellings are intended for the residents of Futuna, who have their own garden plots here. An excellent excursion walk is a trip to Loka Cave with the grotto of St. Bernadette, located in the very east of Alofi Island. Deep-sea diving in this part of the Pacific Ocean seems extremely intense and rich in vivid impressions. The colorful underwater world of Wallis and Futuna is a real revelation for even the most experienced divers.

Wallis and Futuna is a unique country with its own culture, traditions and way of life. People live here as whole families with sisters, brothers, parents, grandparents. Agriculture and raising children are the domain of women. Men are engaged in fishing and making money. In the government, the main positions are also occupied by women, despite the fact that they are represented in small numbers in this area. This amazing island state, the name of which not everyone in Europe knows, and only a few in the countries of the former Union have even heard of, has a rare charm, and its inconspicuousness on the tourist map of the world only causes an even stronger desire to visit the mysterious shores of a distant island community with intriguingly named Wallis and Futuna.