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Tau, American Samoa

 
Tau, American Samoa

 
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Tau, American Samoa
 
 
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Ta‘u is the largest island in the Manu‘a Group
Manua

Manua or the Manua Islands Group consists of three main islands: Tau, Samoa, Ofu-Olosega and Ofu-Olosega. These idylic tropical islands are located some 110 km east of Tutuila and are a part of American Samoa....
 and the easternmost volcanic island of the Samoan Islands. Ta‘u is part of American Samoa
American Samoa

American Samoa is an Territories of the United States of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa....
. In the early 19th century, the island was sometimes called Opoun.

The island is the eroded remnant of a "hotspot
Hotspot (geology)

In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earth's surface that has experienced active volcano for a long period of time. J. Tuzo Wilson came up with the idea in 1963 that volcanic chains like the Hawaiian Islands result from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a "fixed" hot spot deep beneath the surface of the planet....
" shield volcano with a caldera complex or collapse feature (Liu Bench) on the south face. The summit of the island, called Lata Mountain
Lata Mountain

Lata Mountain is the highest point of American Samoa, on the island of Ta'u.References ...
, is at an elevation of , making it the highest point in American Samoa.






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Ta‘u is the largest island in the Manu‘a Group
Manua

Manua or the Manua Islands Group consists of three main islands: Tau, Samoa, Ofu-Olosega and Ofu-Olosega. These idylic tropical islands are located some 110 km east of Tutuila and are a part of American Samoa....
 and the easternmost volcanic island of the Samoan Islands. Ta‘u is part of American Samoa
American Samoa

American Samoa is an Territories of the United States of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa....
. In the early 19th century, the island was sometimes called Opoun.

The island is the eroded remnant of a "hotspot
Hotspot (geology)

In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earth's surface that has experienced active volcano for a long period of time. J. Tuzo Wilson came up with the idea in 1963 that volcanic chains like the Hawaiian Islands result from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a "fixed" hot spot deep beneath the surface of the planet....
" shield volcano with a caldera complex or collapse feature (Liu Bench) on the south face. The summit of the island, called Lata Mountain
Lata Mountain

Lata Mountain is the highest point of American Samoa, on the island of Ta'u.References ...
, is at an elevation of , making it the highest point in American Samoa. The last known volcanic eruption in the Manu‘a Islands was in 1866, on the submarine ridge that extends westnorthwest towards nearby Ofu-Olosega
Ofu-Olosega

Ofu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manua of the Samoa Archipelago—part of American Samoa. Although geographically separate volcanic remnants, only a narrow strait naturally bridged by a shallow coral reef separates them....
.

The largest airport
Fitiuta Airport

Fitiuta Airport is a public airport located in Fitiuta, American Samoa, a village on the island of Tau, American Samoa in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States....
 in the Manu‘a Islands is on the northeast corner of Ta‘u at Fiti‘uta. There is also a private airport
Tau Airport

Tau Airport is a privately-owned, private-use airport located one mile southeast of the village of Ta?u on the island of Tau, American Samoa in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States....
. A boat harbor is located at Faleasao at the northwestern corner of the island. A roadway along the north coast connects all of the several inhabited villages between Ta‘u on the west and Fiti‘uta.

All of the southeastern half of Ta‘u—including all of the rainforest on top of Lata Mountain and within the caldera—and southern shoreline and associated coral reefs are part of the National Park of American Samoa
National Park of American Samoa

The National Park of American Samoa is a U.S. national park on the American territory of American Samoa, distributed across three separate islands: Tutuila, Ofu-Olosega, and Tau, Samoa....
. The park includes the ancient, sacred site of Saua, considered to be the birthplace of the Polynesian people.

Administratively, the island is divided into three counties: Faleasao County, Fitiuta County, and Ta'u County. Along with Ofu
Ofu-Olosega

Ofu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manua of the Samoa Archipelago—part of American Samoa. Although geographically separate volcanic remnants, only a narrow strait naturally bridged by a shallow coral reef separates them....
 and Olosega
Ofu-Olosega

Ofu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manua of the Samoa Archipelago—part of American Samoa. Although geographically separate volcanic remnants, only a narrow strait naturally bridged by a shallow coral reef separates them....
 islands, Tau Island comprises the Manua District
Manua

Manua or the Manua Islands Group consists of three main islands: Tau, Samoa, Ofu-Olosega and Ofu-Olosega. These idylic tropical islands are located some 110 km east of Tutuila and are a part of American Samoa....
 of American Samoa. The land area of Tau Island is and it had a population of 873 persons as of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000

File:US-Census-2000Logo.svgThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the United States Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons Enumeration during the United States Census, 1990....
.

Points of interest

  • Ta‘u is where Margaret Mead
    Margaret Mead

    Margaret Mead was an United States cultural anthropology, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
     conducted her dissertation research in Samoa in the 1920s.


External links