HORNE ISLANDS

also called Futuna Islands, French les De Horne or les De Futuna pair of volcanic islands (Futuna and Alofi) forming the southwestern part of the French overseas territory of Wallis and Futuna (q.v.), in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Their combined land area is 36 square miles (93 square km). Futuna is the site of Mount Singavi (also called Mount Puke; 2,493 feet ). Alofi, which lies 2 miles (3 km) southeast across the Sain Channel, includes Mount Bougainville (Kolofau). The islands were sighted (1616) by the Dutch navigator Jakob Le Maire and named for the city of Hoorn in Holland. They became a French protectorate in 1888. Both islands are well watered, and Alofi is heavily wooded, with potentially valuable stands of timber. The main villages are Taoa, Ono, and Kolia on the south coast of Futuna. Alofi is uninhabited. Pop. (1983) 4,324; (1990) 4,732.