TheHoorn Islands (alsoFutuna Islands, French: îles Horn) are one of two island groups that make up theFrench overseas collectivity (collectivité d'outre-mer, orCOM) ofWallis and Futuna. They consist of two volcanic islands,Futuna andAlofi, located in the South Pacific Ocean. The islands maintain traditional Polynesian governance structures under the French administration. With an aggregate area of 119 km2 (46 sq mi), they had a population of 3,226 in 2018.
The first settlers on the islands came in 8th century BCE. In the early 16th century CE,Tongans attempted to settle theFutuna Island but were repelled.Samoans settled in the 17th century, with the Dutch explorers arriving in 1616.[1] The archipelago was named by the Dutch navigatorsWillem Schouten andJacob Le Maire, who, in 1616, became the first Europeans to visit the islands. They named them after the Dutch city ofHoorn, from whichtheir expedition had started. They had previously rounded and namedCape Horn on the same voyage; Schouten had been born in Hoorn.[2][3]
French Catholic missionaries were the first Europeans to permanently settle in 1837, who converted the population toCatholicism by 1846. The islands became part of a French protectorate after the king Lavelua asked for them in 1842.[1][3] Until 1961, they were part of a French protectorate administered fromNew Caledonia, after which they were part of theFrench overseas territory ofWallis and Futuna, which became aFrench overseas collectivity in 2003.[4]
Hoorn Islands are one of the two island groups of which theFrench overseas collectivity ofWallis and Futuna.[1][3] The islands lie northeast of Fiji, northwest of Tonga and west of Samoa in theSouth Pacific Ocean. The archipelago lies 230 km (140 mi) southwest ofWallis Island, and consists of two volcanic islands ofFutuna (85 sq.km) andAlofi (35 sq.km) separated by a 1.5 km (0.93 mi) wide ocean channel.[3] These are high altitude islands, with no lagoons, with the highest point being Mont Puke at 524 m (1,719 ft).[5] The islands are surrounded bycoral reefs of varying width with the only break atLeava, the major town in the islands.[3] The climate is typified by heavy rainfallwith high humidity, and high temperatures. The islands have a thick forest cover and rich biodiversity.[6]
In 2018, the population of Futuna was 3,225, and Alofi had a single resident.[3] The residents areFrench citizens and are entitled to vote in the French elections. ThePresident of France is the Head of State, who is represented by a prefect with executive power. The Territorial Assembly, composed of democratically elected members, elected for five year terms, is responsible for most social and economic matters. There are also two municipal councils (Alo andSigave), based on the islands’ traditional governance structure.[4] These are headed by Aliki saus, who have executive authority over customary issues, and are assisted by five ministers and a police chief.[3]
14°16′57″S178°08′59″W / 14.28250°S 178.14972°W /-14.28250; -178.14972
