Hoorn Islands

Hoorn Islands

Hoorn Islands (Futuna and Alofi)
with Futuna Island in the northwest

The Hoorn Islands (also Futuna Islands) are one of the two island groups of which the French overseas collectivity (collectivité d'outre-mer, or COM) of Wallis and Futuna is geographically composed. The aggregate area is 115 km², and the population 4,873 (census of 2003).

History

The archipelago was named by the Dutch navigators Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire, first Europeans to visit the islands in 1616. It was named after the Dutch city of Hoorn, from which the expedition started.

Geography

Geographically, there are two islands:

Futuna Island (in the northwest) (83 km², pop. 4871)
Alofi Island (in the southeast) (32 km², pop. 2)

Administratively, the Hoorn Islands encompass two of the three royal chiefdoms of Wallis and Futuna:

Tu`a (Alo): the eastern part of Futuna Island, and Alofi Island (area 85 km², pop. 2993)
Sigave (Singave): the western third of Futuna Island (area 30 km², pop. 1880)