SAMOA: NAVIGATORS ISLANDS 

 By Commander H. Webster, U. S. N. 



The Samoan islands, some 4,200 miles southwest of San Fran- 

 cisco and 420 miles northeast of the Fiji islands, were discov- 

 ered by the French navigator Bougainville in the year 1768, and 

 with the single exception of the Hawaiian group are the largest 

 and most populous in the Pacific. 



Geographically, the Samoan group lies between 13° 30' and 

 14° 20' south latitude, and between 169° and 173° west longitude. 

 There are thirteen islands in the group, but a large proportion are 

 little more than barren volcanic rocks. Three only are inhab- 

 ited, for three alone possess the wherewithal to support a popu- 

 lation. These three islands, which have come into such promi- 

 nence within very recent years, are Savaii, with an area of 700 

 square miles, Upolu, with 550 square.miles, and Tutuila, pos- 

 sessing but 55 square miles. On Tutuila is situated the land- 

 locked harbor of Pago-Pago. The population of the group is 

 variously given at from 30,000 to 50,000, but the first-named figure 

 is probably nearer the truth. 



N S'l I VI. ROAD IN SAMOA 



