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National Park of American SamoaOfu Beach at the Ofu unit of the park.
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National Park of American Samoa
Nature & Science
 
Brown booby, fua'o, nest on Pola Ridge
NPS photo by Tavita Togia.
Brown booby, fua'o, nest on Pola Ridge.
 

Overview

The Samoan Archipelago is a typical Pacific Ocean Volcanic Island arc. As the Pacific Ocean plate moves across a stationary hot spot (a place where molten rock from the Earth's mantle pierces the lithosphere plate) it forms a line of volcanoes, some of which reach the ocean surface to form a string of islands. The National Park of American Samoa is really 'three parks' on four separate islands--Ta'u, Ofu/Olosega, and Tutuila. American Samoa National Park is undeveloped and remote--in the Southern hemisphere and near the International Date Line and (from America) in the far Pacific. These web pages offer you an opportunity to visit the park vicariously--and appreciate the park's unique culture, biodiversity and scenic beauty, and day-dream of actually visiting Ofu, Olosega, Ta'u, and Tutuila. Plan to spend some time here someday.

 

The park's Inventory & Monitoring staff compiled a bibliography (with pdf copies) of Environmental Literature of the Samoan Archipelago. View Version 1, 2007 alphabetically by author, or   view Version 1, 2007 by subject.

Click here to access the Pacific Islands Parks' Inventory and Monitoring website. 

noddy tern
Natural History Guide to the Park
The on-line version of our latest book
more...
 Lined tang button
Fish Inventory
Lots of pictures of our local fishes
more...
 Coral head button
Coral Inventory
More than 200 species, many illustrated
more...
Thespesia
Plant Inventory
Checklist of higher plants with some illustrations
more...
Samoan fruit bats hanging at rest  

Did You Know?
Throughout the Pacific the main reason for the rarity of the two fruit bat species, or flying foxes, is that it is widely sought as a food and considered a delicacy. Sale or trade in fruit bats is now illegal in the U.S. and its territories.

Last Updated: January 29, 2008 at 13:44 EST