The independent country of Samoa consists of the two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i and 8 smaller islands located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand in the Polynesian region of the South Pacific.
The island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population and its capital city of Apia. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from November to April.
To the East is the smaller American Samoa, see also Geography of American Samoa.
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 13°35′S 172°20′W / 13.583°S 172.333°W / -13.583; -172.333Coordinates: 13°35′S 172°20′W / 13.583°S 172.333°W / -13.583; -172.333
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 2,944 km²
land: 2,934 km²
water: 10 km²
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km)
territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22 km)
Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)
Terrain: Two main islands Savai'i and Upolu, with settlements on Manono and Apolima in the Apolima Strait between Savai'i and Upolu. A small uninhabited island Namua sits between Manono and Apolima. Off the east end of Upolu are the Aleipata Islands, small uninhabited islets; The terrain of the two main islands are narrow coastal plains with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 21.2%
permanent crops: 24.38%
other: 54.42%
Irrigated land: NA km² longest river? Natural hazards: occasional cyclones; active volcanism
Environment - current issues: soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: occupies an almost central position within Polynesia
Famous quotes containing the words geography of and/or geography:
“Where the heart is, there the muses, there the gods sojourn, and not in any geography of fame. Massachusetts, Connecticut River, and Boston Bay, you think paltry places, and the ear loves names of foreign and classic topography. But here we are; and, if we tarry a little, we may come to learn that here is best. See to it, only, that thyself is here;—and art and nature, hope and fate, friends, angels, and the Supreme Being, shall not absent from the chamber where thou sittest.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Where the heart is, there the muses, there the gods sojourn, and not in any geography of fame. Massachusetts, Connecticut River, and Boston Bay, you think paltry places, and the ear loves names of foreign and classic topography. But here we are; and, if we tarry a little, we may come to learn that here is best. See to it, only, that thyself is here;—and art and nature, hope and fate, friends, angels, and the Supreme Being, shall not absent from the chamber where thou sittest.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)