Samoa - Geography

The name Samoa, from Sa (‘sacred’) and Moa (‘centre’), means ‘Sacred Centre of the Universe’. Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) is an archipelago of nine islands at the centre of the south-west Pacific island groups, surrounded by (clockwise from north) Tokelau, American Samoa, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna. The nine islands of Samoa are Apolima, Manono, Fanuatapu, Namu’a, Nuutele, Nuulua, Nuusafee, Savai’i (the largest, at 1,708 sq km including adjacent small islands) and Upolu (second largest, at 1,118 sq km including adjacent small islands). Five of the islands are uninhabited.

Area: 2,831 sq km

Main towns: Apia (capital, pop. 36,700 in 2009), Vaitele (7,100), Faleasiu (3,800), Vailele (3,200) and Leauvaa (3,100) on Upolu; Safotu (1,500), Sapulu (1,100) and Gataivai (1,100) on Savai’i.

Topography: The islands are formed of volcanic rock, but none of the volcanoes has been active since 1911. The highest point, about 1,858m, is on Savai’i. Coral reefs surround much of the coastline and there is plentiful fresh water in the lakes and rivers. Much of the cultivated land is on Upolu.

Climate: Tropical maritime. Hot and rainy from December to April and cooler, with trade winds, from May to November. Samoa is prone to hurricanes and cyclones which sometimes cause devastation. Cyclone Val, in December 1991 – the worst storm to hit the islands in over 100 years – destroyed over half the coconut palms. The country was again devastated in 1998.

In September 2009 a violent earthquake in the South Pacific, some 190km south of Samoa, caused a huge tsunami, which devastated coastal regions of the islands, killing at least 129 people and destroying the homes of at least several hundred.

Environment: The most significant environmental issue is soil erosion.

Vegetation: Dense tropical forest and woodlands cover some 37% of the land area, having been reduced by the extensive forest fires on Savai’i in 1998. Arable land comprises about 20% of the total land area.

Wildlife: Animal life is restricted to several species of bats and lizards and 53 species of birds. Birdlife includes the rare tooth-billed pigeon, thought to be a living link with prehistoric tooth-billed birds. Due to over-hunting, all species of native pigeons and doves are approaching extinction.

Transport: There are 2,100km of roads, many being rural-access roads, 42% paved. Apia on Upolu is the international port. There is a ferry service between Upolu and Savai’i, and weekly services to Pago Pago in American Samoa.

The international airport, at Faleolo (34km west of Apia) can take Boeing 747s, but Samoa, like other Pacific island countries, is remote from world centres and too small for commercial airlines to run frequent flights. The national carriers, Polynesian Blue and Polynesian Airlines, fly to several regional and international destinations.