When is Territory Day?
Territory Day is a public holiday in the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands on July 29th each year. The day commemorates the islands becoming a French Overseas Territory on this day in 1961.
History of Territory Day
The two island groups in the South Pacific between Fiji and Samoa were first encountered by Europeans when Dutch navigators passed by in 1616 during the circumnavigation of the world. The Wallis Islands are named after the British explorer Samuel Wallis who sailed past in 1767.
However, despite this Anglo-Dutch passing by, it was the French who put down roots with the arrival of French missionaries in 1837.
The islands became a French protectorate at the end of the 19th century, before being annexed by France in 1917, becoming a colony, under the authority of New Caledonia.
In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory, effective on July 29th 1961, thus ending their subordination to New Caledonia.
