Samoan Islands

The Samoan Islands comprise the country of Samoa and the islands of the US territory of American Samoa. Samoa is an island nation in the central South Pacific and one of the countries of Polynesian cultures. Samoa was a territory of New Zealand for more than a century and gained its independence in 1962. American Samoa was formed in 1899 by a treaty between the United States and Germany.

The total land area of Samoa is just 1,089 square miles (2,821 square kilometers), or smaller than the US state of Rhode Island. The main islands are Savai'i and Upolu; smaller islands include both inhabited islands and islets that are uninhabited. The capital, Apia, is located on the island of Upolu. The tallest peak, Mount Silisili, rises 6,092 feet (1,857 meters) above Savai'i. American Samoa includes Tutuila, where the territorial capital, Pago Pago, is situated. The Manu'a group of islands includes Ta'u, Ofu, and Olosega. Rose Island and Swains Island are coral atolls. The total land area of American Samoa is 77 square miles (199 square kilometers), or a little larger than Washington, DC. Lata Mountain, at 3,162 feet (964 meters), is the tallest point in American Samoa.

Brief History

The Samoan Islands are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologic zone in which volcanic and seismic activity are common. Much of this activity is due to the Pacific tectonic plate and occurs near the edges of the plate. Researchers believe the Samoan Islands developed because of a hot spot. Hot spots are mantle plumes, or swellings of very hot rock from the earth's mantle. As the hot spot pushes against the Pacific plate, it creates seamounts, or underwater mountains. Although the hot spots do not move, tectonic plates do. As the Pacific plate moves over the hot spot, the effects of the plume create a string of seamounts. The Samoan and Hawaiian Islands were formed when seamounts grew tall enough to emerge from the ocean. As evidence of the hot spot, researchers point to the ages of the Samoan Islands. The islands in the chain progress from oldest to youngest in a southeastern direction. The active volcanoes are in the center and southeast end of the chain. Some of the islands are coral atolls. These are reefs of coral, which is made from the shells of tiny animals that live in colonies. These coral reefs grew up around volcanic mountains. The heavy mountains slowly sink; as the land nearest the reefs submerges, the reefs are left standing.

Polynesian people arrived in the archipelago about 1000 BCE, most likely on outrigger canoes. Language experts believe the original settlers probably were from Tonga. Residents of the Samoan Islands frequently interacted with Tongans and Fijians. Like their neighbors, Samoans were seagoing people. They built boats, fished, and navigated using traditional methods. People grew bananas, breadfruit, coconuts, sugarcane, taro, and yams in villages largely located near the coasts.

European explorers first visited the islands during the early eighteenth century. A Dutch explorer arrived in 1722, and the French visited more than forty years later. Christian missionaries arrived during the 1830s and converted many inhabitants to Christianity.

The United States, Germany, and Great Britain jostled one another for superiority in the region for much of the nineteenth century. Although they agreed to remain neutral in the Samoan Islands, the United States annexed the eastern islands in 1899, and Germany annexed the western islands. The western islands remained under German control until 1914 when New Zealand took control at the start of World War I (1914–1918). New Zealand continued to administer the western islands until Samoa (which was called Western Samoa until 1997) gained independence under United Nations guidelines. Tribal chiefs of the eastern islands sold their islands to the United States in 1900. The US Navy administered the islands until the Department of the Interior took over management after World War II (1939–1945).

Overview

The islands have mountainous and volcanic interiors ringed by narrow coastal plains. The climate in the region changes little throughout the year, with highs of 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) from December to April and 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) from June to August. Despite the heat and humidity, steady trade winds provide relief during the day. Water temperatures average from 81 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 29 degrees Celsius). A wet season runs from October to March, with annual rainfall ranging from 78 to 275 inches (2,000 to 7,000 millimeters). The higher elevations typically receive the most rainfall.

The Samoan Islands are home to diverse wildlife and habitats. The islands contain tropical rainforests, scrublands, mangrove swamps, marshes, and farmland. Native wildlife includes many bird species, such as seabird-breeding colonies on uninhabited islands, flying foxes (fruit bats), geckos, Pacific pigeons and doves, and skinks. The waters surrounding the islands are home to sea turtles and migrating populations of dolphins, porpoises, and whales. Nearly two hundred varieties of coral and a thousand species of fish live in the reefs.

Samoa is home to several national parks and preserved areas. O Le Pupu-Pue National Park on Upolu features walking trails through tropical rain forest, the Togitogiga Waterfall, and the Peapea Cave. Lake Lanoto'o National Park, also on Upolu, is home to rare birds. Hikers who reach the lake, the largest in Samoa, will find goldfish introduced during the nineteenth century by German settlers.

The National Park of American Samoa on Tutuila is also home to tropical rainforest and coral reefs. Fruit bats may be seen feeding both day and night and are an important pollinator in the island chain. More than thirty-five species of birds, including kingfishers, are also found here, as well as many coral and fish species.

By the mid-2020s, the majority of the more than 208,000 residents of the combined island groups were ethnic Samoan and spoke both Samoan and English. The people of the islands face a number of challenges in the twenty-first century. Many rely on subsistence farming and raise animals, including chickens, pigs, and sheep. Like other Polynesian peoples, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity have become serious health concerns for Samoans. Researchers say these health issues are largely due to islanders' changes in diet, as they have adopted a more Western menu. Many of these Western foods are imported and processed, and many Pacific Islanders have reported eating fewer fruits and vegetables. Health experts have introduced nutrition education in schools and among patients to combat the problems.

Bibliography

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“Samoa - The World Factbook.” CIA, 21 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/samoa. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.