Editing Samoa (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Samoa waterfall scenery.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Samoan waterfall]]
{{Main|Geography of Samoa}}
[[File:Samoa Country map.png|thumb|upright=1.35|A map of Samoa]]
[[File:Samoa topography.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Topography of Samoa]]

Samoa lies south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, in the [[Polynesia]]n region of the Pacific Ocean. The total land area is {{cvt|2,842|km2|sqmi|}},<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2009-2010/Table03.pdf |title=Demographic Yearbook—Table 3: Population by sex, rate of population increase, surface area and density |publisher=United Nations Statistics Division |year=2010 |access-date=7 April 2014 |archive-date=10 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110162214/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2009-2010/Table03.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> consisting of the two large islands of [[Upolu]] and [[Savaiʻi]] (which together account for 99% of the total land area) and eight small islets.

The islets are:<ref name="DB">{{cite news |title=Samoa an Overview |url=http://www.donbosco.asn.au/Bulletins/2004/mar/overview.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120020749/http://www.donbosco.asn.au/Bulletins/2004/mar/overview.htm |archive-date=20 November 2007 |work=Salesian Bulletin}}</ref>

*the three islets in the [[Apolima Strait]] ([[Manono Island]], [[Apolima]] and [[Nuʻulopa]])
*the four [[Aleipata Islands]] off the eastern end of Upolu ([[Nuʻutele]], [[Nuʻulua]], [[Namua]], and [[Fanuatapu]])
*[[Nuʻusafeʻe]], which is less than {{cvt|1|ha|acre|frac=2|}} in area and lies about {{cvt|1.4|km|mi nmi}} off the south coast of Upolu at the village of Vaovai

The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population, and to the capital city, [[Apia, Samoa|Apia]].

The Samoan islands result geologically from [[volcanism]], originating with the [[Samoa hotspot]], which probably results from a [[mantle plume]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Koppers, Anthony A.P. |date=June 2008 |title=Samoa reinstated as a primary hotspot trail |journal=[[Geology (journal)|Geology]] |volume=36 |issue=6 |pages=435–438 |doi=10.1130/G24630A.1 |bibcode=2008Geo....36..435K}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.geosociety.org/news/pr/08-23.htm |title=GSA Press Release – GEOLOGY/GSA Today Media Highlights |publisher=Geosociety.org |date=27 May 2008 |access-date=30 June 2010 |archive-date=15 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615233006/http://geosociety.org/news/pr/08-23.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> While all of the islands have volcanic origins, only Savaiʻi, the westernmost island in Samoa, remains volcanically active, with the most recent eruptions at [[Mount Matavanu]] (1905–1911), [[Mata o le Afi]] (1902) and [[Mauga Afi]] (1725). The highest point in Samoa is [[Silisili|Mount Silisili]], at {{cvt|1858|m|ft|}}. The [[Saleaula]] lava fields situated on the central north coast of Savaiʻi result from the Mount Matavanu eruptions, which left {{cvt|50|km2|sqmi|}} of solidified lava.<ref>[http://www.samoa.travel/sightseeing.aspx?sID=9 Savai'i – An Introduction] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095430/http://www.samoa.travel/sightseeing.aspx?sID=9 |date=2 April 2015 }}, Samoa Tourism Authority.</ref>

Savaiʻi is the largest of the Samoan islands and the sixth-largest Polynesian island (after New Zealand's [[North Island|North]], [[South Island|South]] and [[Stewart Island/Rakiura|Stewart Islands]] and the Hawaiian islands of [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaiʻi]] and [[Maui]]). The population of Savaiʻi is roughly 42 thousand people.

===Climate===
Samoa has an equatorial climate, with an average annual temperature of {{cvt|26.5|°C|°F|}} and a main rainy season from November to April, although heavy rain may fall in any month.<ref>{{cite news |title=Samoa: Climate |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-54101/Samoa |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=26 November 2007 |archive-date=3 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403205126/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-54101/Samoa |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Weather box
|width=auto
|location=Apia
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|temperature colour=pastel
|Jan high C=30.4
|Feb high C=30.6
|Mar high C=30.6
|Apr high C=30.7
|May high C=30.4
|Jun high C=30.0
|Jul high C=29.5
|Aug high C=29.6
|Sep high C=29.9
|Oct high C=30.1
|Nov high C=30.3
|Dec high C=30.5
|year high C=
|Jan low C=23.9
|Feb low C=24.2
|Mar low C=24.0
|Apr low C=23.8
|May low C=23.4
|Jun low C=23.2
|Jul low C=22.6
|Aug low C=22.8
|Sep low C=23.1
|Oct low C=23.4
|Nov low C=23.6
|Dec low C=23.8
|year low C=
|rain colour=green
|Jan rain mm=489.0
|Feb rain mm=368.0
|Mar rain mm=352.1
|Apr rain mm=211.2
|May rain mm=192.6
|Jun rain mm=120.8
|Jul rain mm=120.7
|Aug rain mm=113.2
|Sep rain mm=153.9
|Oct rain mm=224.3
|Nov rain mm=261.7
|Dec rain mm=357.5
|year rain mm=
|source 1=[[World Meteorological Organization]] (UN)<ref name=WMO>[http://worldweather.wmo.int/184/c01230.htm World Weather Information Service – Apia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015043207/http://worldweather.wmo.int/184/c01230.htm |date=15 October 2012 }}, World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 15 October 2012.</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

===Ecology===
{{Further|List of mammals of Samoa|Samoan plant names}}
{{See also|List of birds of Samoa|List of protected areas of Samoa}}

Samoa forms part of the [[Samoan tropical moist forests]] ecoregion.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |display-authors=1 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |pages=534–545 |issn=0006-3568 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Since human habitation began, about 80% of the lowland rainforests have disappeared. However, with recent reforestation, about 60.4% or about 171,000 ha of Samoa is forested, of which 32,000 ha is planted forest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samoa Forest Information and Data |url=https://worldrainforests.com/deforestation/2000/Samoa.htm |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=worldrainforests.com}}</ref> 

Within the ecoregion about 28% of plants and 84% of land birds are endemic.<ref>
{{WWF ecoregion |id=oc0112 |name=Samoan tropical moist forests |access-date=30 December 2011}}
</ref>