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: 142 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 142 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 0 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
country comparison to the world: 221
Area - comparative:
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
Coastline:
129 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
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 250-300 cm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees Celsius
Terrain:
volcanic origin; low hills
Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Singavi (on Futuna) 765 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
agricultural land: 42.8%
arable land 7.1%; permanent crops 35.7%; permanent pasture 0%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 41.9%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 15.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
Irrigated land:
NA
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
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 freshwater resources
Geography - note:
both island groups have fringing reefs