Time Zone |
Pacific/Wallis |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC+12 |
Daylight Saving Time |
Daylight saving time is not observed in the current region. |
Time Zone |
America/New_York |
Standard Time GMT / UTC |
UTC-5 |
Daylight Saving Time |
UTC-4 |
Utufua is the capital and largest city of the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna, located in the Mata'utu region on the south coast of Wallis Island. As the political, economic and cultural center of the archipelago, Utufua has a concentration of administrative offices, banks and major commercial facilities.
The city is located in the Polynesian region of the South Pacific and has a tropical maritime climate with an average annual temperature of about 27°C. The city has a population of about 1,200 people. The population is about 1,200 (including the Mata'utu area), predominantly Polynesian, with French as the official language and Wallisian as the lingua franca. The city is surrounded by lagoons and has a unique coral reef ecosystem.
Utufua retains a strong traditional Polynesian culture, characterized by the traditional chiefly system ("faku") and modern administrative parallelism. Important landmarks include the Marae Mauga Church and the Capital Square, where traditional events such as the Kava Ceremony, celebrating France's National Day, are held every July.
The economy is based on subsistence farming, fishing and French financial assistance. Hohifo Airport is the only airport in the archipelago and there are regular flights to New Caledonia. The city's harbor can accommodate small boats, and the main imports and exports include copra, handicrafts and foodstuffs.
Located in western Massachusetts, on the banks of the Connecticut River and part of the Springfield metropolitan area, Holyoke was an important hub of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, and is known as the "Paper City" - famous for having housed nearly half of the nation's paper mills in the late 1800's. Today, the city combines industrial history with natural charm, and is home to Mount Tom State Park, which is the first of its kind in Massachusetts. Today, this city combines industrial history and natural charm with Mount Tom State Park, which offers panoramic views of the Connecticut River Valley, and a downtown with a collection of Victorian-era industrial buildings, including the Holyoke Canal System, which still stands as a testament to the prosperity of water transportation in the days of yore. As a multicultural community, the city retains its history and continues to revitalize itself with traditional events such as the annual Three County Fair and educational institutions such as Holyoke Community College.