Wallis and Futuna

Flag of Wallis and Futuna

The island archipelago is located in the Pacific, north of New Zealand. The archipelago is made up of 3 main islands, and many tiny volcanic islets. The islands where originally charted by Dutch and English explorers in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the French who actually made moves to settle there, with missionaries arriving in the islands in 1837.

The islands themselves fall under French control, but consist of 3 traditional tribal kingdoms. In 1842, the missionaries feared for their safety, so called for assistance from France to protect them. And with the French military there, the Queen of Uvea (Wallis) signed a treaty in 1887 which turned her kingdom into a French protectorate. 

The group of islands finally where annexed as a group in 1917 and became a full French protectorate, governed from New Caledonia. Then, in 1959, the islands voted to become a French overseas territory. 

The islands, being French territories use the French tricolore as their official flag. However, the group does have its own unofficial flag. Originally, a red banner with the French tricolore in the upper fly hoist edged in white. In the centre of the banner, a white Germanic (Christian) cross.

However, the flag has been altered, with the latest version still being a red banner, with the tricolore edged in white, for heraldic reasons, of not allowing strong colours to touch. However, the cross has been altered. It is now a red saltire cross on a white square. This has been placed to the right of centre, and slightly down.

The coat of arms for the island takes the same form as the flag. The French tricolore placed in the top right corner, and edged in white, with the red saltire on white placed on the lower left.