Savaiʻi
Savaiʻi is the largest and highest island both in Samoa and in the Samoan Islands chain. The island is also the sixth largest in Polynesia, behind the three main islands of New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii and Maui. While it is larger than the second main island, Upolu, it is significantly less populated.
Nickname: Soul of Samoa | |
|---|---|
Map of Savaiʻi | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 13°35′S 172°25′W |
| Archipelago | Samoa Islands |
| Area | 1,694 km2 (654 sq mi) |
| Length | 70 km (43 mi) |
| Width | 46 km (28.6 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,858 m (6096 ft) |
| Highest point | Mt Silisili |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 43,958 (2016) |
| Pop. density | 25/km2 (65/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | 92.6% Samoans, 7% Euronesians, 0.4% Europeans |
| Additional information | |
| Last eruption by Mt Matavanu (1905–1911) | |
Samoans sometimes refer to the island of Savaiʻi as Salafai: This is its classical Samoan name, and is used in formal oratory and prose. The island is home to 43,958 people (2016 census), and they make up 24% of the population of Samoa. The island’s only township and ferry terminal is called Salelologa. It is the main point of entry to the island, and is situated at the east end of Savaiʻi. A tar sealed road serves as the single main highway, connecting most of the villages. Local bus routes also operate, reaching most settlements.
Savaiʻi is made up of six itūmālō (political districts). Each district is made up of villages that have strong traditional ties with each other — of kinship, history, and land — and that use similar matai (titles for their village chiefs). Savaiʻi’s relatively limited ecotourism operations are organized mostly at the village level. The Mau, Samoa's non-violent movement for political independence during colonialism in the early 1900s, had its beginnings on Savaiʻi, with the Mau a Pule movement.
The island is the largest shield volcano in the South Pacific. Its most recent eruptions were in the early 1900s. Its central region comprises the Central Savaiʻi Rainforest, extending over 72,699 hectares (727 km2), which is the largest contiguous rainforest in Polynesia. It is dotted with more than 100 volcanic craters and contains most of Samoa's native species of flora and fauna, making it one of the world’s most globally significant conservation areas.