Samoa

Overview

Samoa is a Pacific island nation west of American Samoa, made up of two main islands, Upolu and Savai'i, along with several smaller, uninhabited islands. It gained independence from New Zealand in 1962, having previously been administered by Germany and then, from World War I onward, by New Zealand. Traditional Polynesian life, known as fa'a Samoa, continues to shape daily life, including the matai chiefly system, which still governs local communities. The official languages are Samoan and English.

Apia, the capital on Upolu, serves as the country's commercial and administrative center, with a market and waterfront promenade forming the hub of daily life. Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, spent his final years on Upolu at Vailima, where his former house is now open as a museum, and his grave lies at the top of nearby Mount Vaea. On Savai'i, the Saleaula lava fields preserve traces of a volcanic eruption between 1905 and 1911, which partially buried a former church under solidified lava. The To Sua Ocean Trench on Upolu is a collapsed lava tube containing a pool fed by seawater, reached by a ladder built into the wall of the trench.

Samoa's coral reefs make its coastline well suited to diving and snorkeling, with shallow, sheltered lagoon waters also suitable for beginners. The palolo worm, a marine annelid, rises to the water's surface once a year around October or November, and locals traditionally collect and eat it during this event. Local cuisine is built on taro and coconut, with palusami, taro leaves cooked in coconut cream, as a signature dish, along with the umu, a traditional underground oven method used for ceremonial occasions.