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Wallis and Futuna Islands[wol´is, fOOtOO´nA] Pronunciation Key, French overseas territory (1995 est. pop. 14,000), 106 sq mi (274 sq km), South Pacific, W of Samoa and NE of Fiji. Comprising two small groups, the Wallis Islands and the Hoorn Islands, which are c.120 mi (190 km) apart, it is sometimes called Wallis Archipelago. The main volcanic islands are Uvea, Futuna, and Alofi; the chief town is Matautu. Copra was an important export until the mid-1960s, when an attack of rhinoceros beetles ravaged the islands' palm trees. Timber is still exported. The islands came under French control in 1842 and became an overseas territory in 1961. They are governed by an administrator and a territorial assembly.
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