earth science

Samoan Islands

Samoan Islands is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Samoan Islands rather than just read about it. In short: The Samoan Islands (Samoan: Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering 3,030 km2 (1,170 sq mi) in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa and most of American Samoa (apart from Swains Island, which is geographically part of the Tokelau Islands).

Key takeaways

Samoan Islands belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Samoan Islands to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Samoan Islands from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Samoan Islands (Samoan: Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering 3,030 km2 (1,170 sq mi) in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa and most of American Samoa (apart from Swains Island, which is geographically part of the Tokelau Islands). The land masses of the two Samoan jurisdictions are separated by 64 km (40 mi; 35 nmi) of ocean at their closest points. The population of the Samoan Islands is approximately 250,000. The inhabitants have in common the Samoan language, a culture known as fa'a Samoa, and an indigenous form of governance called fa'amatai. Samoans are one of the largest Polynesian populations in the world, and most are of exclusively Samoan ancestry. The oldest known evidence of human activity in the Samoan Islands dates to around 1050 BC. It comes from a Lapita site at Mulifanua wharf on Upolu island. In 1768, the eastern islands were visited by the French explorer Bougainville, who named them the Navigator Islands. That name was used by missionaries until about 1845, and in official European dispatches until about 1870.

Samoa and American Samoa

Politically, the Samoan Islands are divided into two jurisdictions:

Samoa, an independent nation that gained political independence from New Zealand in 1962. It comprises the western part of the Samoan Islands, (2,831 km2 (1,093 sq mi) and 196,000 inhabitants (2016)). It was known as German Samoa from 1900 to 1914, and as Western Samoa until 1997. Capital: Apia; currency: Samoan tala. American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States comprising the eastern part of the Samoan Islands. (199 km2 (77 sq mi) and 49,710 inhabitants (2020)). Capital: Pago Pago; currency: US dollar.

Political partition In the late 19th century, competition for political control of the islands between the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom resulted in the December 1899 Tripartite Convention, which formally partitioned the Samoan archipelago into a German colony (German Samoa) in the western part and a United States territory (American Samoa) in the eastern part. New Zealand began occupying the western islands in World War I, while they were still a German colony and continued as an occupying force until 1920. Then, from 1920 until Samoa's independence in 1962, New Zealand governed the islands in that group under a League of Nations Class C Mandate from 1920 to 1946, and as a United Nations Trust Territory from 1946 to 1962. The force that eventually led to the political independence of the western islands in 1962 was the pro-independence Mau movement, which gained popularity across the area. The eastern islands remain a political territory of the United States.

Islands

The Samoan Islands has total of 18 islands spread 3,030 km2 (1,170 sq mi) in a west to east direction.

Samoa

Savaiʻi: population 43,819 (2016); largest landmass; westernmost in the group; most recent volcanic eruptions. Eruptions:Mt Matavanu (1905–1911); Mata o le Afi (1902); Mauga Afi (approximately 1725). Manono: population 889 (2006). Nuʻulopa: uninhabited; lies in the Apolima Strait between Upolu and Savaiʻi. Apolima: population 75 (2006). Upolu: population 143,418 (2011); the most populous island in the group. Nuʻusafeʻe: uninhabited; tiny rocky islet off the south coast of Upolu, near the village of Poutasi. Nuʻutele: uninhabited; volcanic tuff ring; conservation for native birds; can also be seen from the popular Lalomanu Beach. Nuʻulua: uninhabited; volcanic tuff ring; land area 25 hectares (62 acres); conservation habitat for endemic native birds. Namua: uninhabited Fanuatapu: uninhabited; volcanic tuff ring. The islands of Manono, Apolima and Nuʻulopa lie in the Apolima Strait between Upolu and Savaiʻi. The four small, uninhabited islands – Nuʻutele, Nuʻulua, Namua and Fanuatapu – are situated off the east coast of Upolu and comprise the Aleipata Islands.

American Samoa Tutuila: population 48,405 (per 2020 census); main island in the territory. Pola Island: unpopulated; part of the National Park of American Samoa. Aunu'u: population 473 (per 2020 census); located southeast of Tutuila. Swains Island: unpopulated (per 2020 census); politically administered by American Samoa, but culturally part of Tokelau; copra plantation. Ofu‑Olosega: volcanic doublet encompassing Ofu (population 132, per 2020 census) and Olosega (population 147, per 2020 census); in the Manu'a Group of islands. Ta'ū: population 236 (per 2020 census); largest island in the Manu'a Group Manu (Rose Atoll): unpopulated (per 2020 census); conservation habitat for native birdlife, marine life, green turtle and endangered hawksbill turtle. A number of minor uninhabited islets: Taputapu Island, Nuusetoga Island (Bartlett Island), Nuʻutele Island, Nuusilaelae Island, Pyramid Rock (Fatutoʻaga), Fatu Rock (Flowerpot Rock), Utusiva, Avaio, and Nu’upule Rock.

Location

The islands are approximately 800 km (500 mi) from Fiji, 530 km (330 mi) from Tonga, 2,900 km (1,800 mi) from New Zealand, and 4,000 km (2,500 mi) from Hawaii, U.S. The islands lie between 13° and 14° south latitude and 169° and 173° west longitude, and span an area of about 480 km (300 mi) from west to east. The larger islands are volcanic in origin, mountainous, and covered in tropical moist forest. Some of the smaller islands are coral atolls with black sand beaches.

Highest points The highest point in Samoa is Mt. Silisili, on the island of Savai'i. At 1,858 m (6,096 ft), it is also one of the highest peaks in Polynesia. The highest peak in American Samoa is on Ta’u, Lata Mountain, at 966 m (3,169 ft).

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Samoan Islands: Map of American Samoa — Map of American Samoa

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Samoan Islands

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Samoan Islands claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Samoan Islands before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Samoan Islands ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Samoan Islands

In research: Samoan Islands appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Samoan Islands in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Samoan Islands is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Archipelagoes of Oceania, Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean, Eastern Indo-Pacific, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Samoan Islands outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Samoan Islands in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Samoan Islands means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Samoan Islands out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samoan Islands in simple terms?

Why does Samoan Islands matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Samoan Islands?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Samoan Islands.