The National Park of American Samoa
Ofu South Shore
- Photograph Chris Stein
Talofa - Welcome!
The people of American Samoa and the National Park Service welcome
you into the heart of the South Pacific, to a world of sights,
sounds, and experiences that you will find nowhere else in the
United States.
Located some 2,600 miles southwest of Hawai`i, this is one of
the most remote national parks in the United States. It is also
one of the newest; it was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1988
and officially established in 1993 when a 50 year lease was signed.
The park preserves the only mixed-species paleotropic rainforest
in the United States, habitat of rare flying
foxes (fruit bats), as well as Indo-Pacific
reefs. In keeping with the meaning of the word Samoa - "sacred
earth" - the park helps protect fa`asamoa,
the customs, beliefs, and traditions of the 3,000 year-old Samoan
culture.
![link to the New Natural History Guide to American Samoa](images/ad4_thebook.gif)
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