WALLIS AND FUTUNA

WALLIS AND FUTUNA / WALLIS ET FUTUNA - UVEA MO FUTUNA.

Landscapes.
Lake Lalolalo, in Wallis ('Uvea) Island.
Airmail. First stamp in a set of 4, issued on 01.12.1975.
Face value: 10 CFP francs.
Design: Pierrette Lambert (b. 1928).
Printed by Edila.
Printing: Photogravure.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 269.
- Scott No. C65.
- StampWorld No. 269.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 249.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA67.

The Lake Lalolalo is a volcanic crater lake surrounded by jungle to the Mu'a district, southwest of Wallis (’Uvea), a French island in Polynesia, in the South Pacific. The 15.2-hectare lake is almost a perfect circle with rocky cliffs that drop 30m (98ft) into dark waters 80m (262ft) deep, and the largest of several on the island. It is important to the local mythology of Wallis and Futuna, as the indigenous population considers it a vital force that regenerates life, which they call vao tapu, which is why its surroundings are considered sacred. At the end of World War II, the US Army dumped equipment and ammunition. Scuba dives in the lake have found various calibers of ammunition from that era. The surrounding jungle is inhabited by tropical birds and flying foxes, and the waters have a significant population of eels, which in traditional religious beliefs are tutelary deities who protect freshwater sources. In 2018, a viewpoint was built from which tourists can see the lake.