Beautiful American Samoa

SAMOA,

Possibly the most beautiful place on earth.

located in the "Heart of the Polynesia".
The first miracle of creation was fragrance, according to ancient myth. Then Le Tagaloa, the supreme god, rolled gigantic stones from heaven into the sea. They became islands. Flying clouds married clear heavens and among their progeny were shadow, daylight, and sunset. People developed from creatures of the sea and land. Chiefs descended from gods. And they called their sweet-smelling land Samoa -- SACRED CENTER. (Gene S. Stuart)

The Heart of Polynesia The Samoans claim they have always existed on their Islands. They were officially discovered by Dutch Explorer Roggeveen in 1722. The French, however, gave Samoa its first name, “The Navigator Islands” because when Bougainville visited in 1768 he was impressed by the numerous canoes, and the Samoans’ great skill in handling them. Samoa today has two different governments: Western Samoa (about 1,200 square miles) is presently an independent, sovereign state; America Samoa (about 76 square miles is a U.S. territory administered by the department of the interior. Western Samoa, a German possession from 1899 until 1914 was governed by New Zealand until 1962 when it became independent. It has a population of over 152,000 (1977) American Samoa’s population numbers about 30,600 (1977), the bulk living in or near the administrative center of Pago Pago on Tutuila.

Links to some of the best Samoan sites!

  • Amerika Samoa
  • Fagatele Bay National Marine Scanctuary
  • Samoan Chat
  • Samoan Language Resources
  • Polynesian Cultural Center
  • An American Samoan Homepage