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Welcome Back! Today we are looking at one of the most prominent US territories, which is the American Samoa. Located in Polynesia, American Samoa also has Asian influences and is quite similar to Guam, the US territory we looked at in my last post. I am going to be looking at what you can do in Samoa, the environment, food, and why you should spend your next vacation there. 

American Samoa is made up of 5 volcanic islands- Tutuila, Aunu’u, Ofu, Olosega, and Ta’u and the capital is Pago Pago. Pago Pago is referred to as the “Penina o le Pasifika” (pearl of the Pacific). This island is perfect for history lovers- they have sites dating back to WWII and the landing of the Apollo missions. The volcanic islands showcase the natural beauty of the American Samoa, and there has been minimal industrial development, preserving the nature and flora and fauna. Tutuila and Aunu’u is primarily made up of mountains and Tutuila is the largest island within Samoa. Because of this, there are a variety of things for tourists- trails, sanctuaries, beaches. Ofu, Olosega, and Ta’u fall under Manu’a, and are quite similar. They are known for their national parks and each island is made up of villages- there are a few hundred people in each village. There is also a separate island called Swains Island- it is slightly secluded, but it is perfect for all nature lovers. As someone who loves to be in nature, but doesn’t know much about it, I would love to visit the Swains Island. There is a ferry service from Pago Pago, and they have wildlife refuges, if you are interested in learning about endangered or unique species. Species in Swain Island include sooty tern, brown booby, red-tailed tropicbird, red-footed booby and brown nobby nest. Never heard of these species? Me neither! But I definitely know that it would be cool to learn about it. After all, where else would you see them?

Another unique aspect of Samoa is the food. Every US territory has their own cuisine, which has been exhibited by my previous posts. As I mentioned earlier, American Samoa is known for their flora and fauna, and they have incorporated that into their cooking. For example, one of their most popular dishes is made up of green bananas and taro, a root vegetable. Another popular dish is Palusami- coconut cream and onion cooked in taro leaves. Pisupo, which is canned corned beef, and Povi Masima, which is regular corned beef can also be found around the islands. These dishes are unlike anything you might have tasted before, and that is the beauty of it. 

American Samoa is perfect for people who find relaxation in nature, because there are so many opportunities to try new things within the islands. As I have mentioned before, we don’t need to always look beyond the US to find the perfect vacation. So take a break, and go somewhere that you haven’t seen before.