The Aleipata Islands are a group of four uninhabited islands off the eastern end of

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximatel ...

Island,

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. The islands are eroded volcanic

tuff ring Phreatomagmatic eruptions are volcanic eruptions resulting from interaction between magma and water. They differ from exclusively magmatic eruptions and phreatic eruptions. Unlike phreatic eruptions, the products of phreatomagmatic eruptions cont ...

s, and consist of a small northern pair on Upolu's

barrier reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

, and a larger southern pair outside it. Collectively the islands have an area of about . Administratively, the islands are part of the Atua district. The islands are important for Samoa's biodiversity and are protected by the Aleipata Marine Protected Area.

Geography

From north to south, the islands consist of: *

Namua Namu'a is a small, uninhabited island off the east coast of Upolu island in Samoa. It is one of four small islands in the Aleipata Islands grouping. The island is a 10-minute boat ride from Upolu Island, and has beach fale accommodation for visit ...

(0.20 km²) *

Fanuatapu Fanuatapu, an uninhabited island, is a volcanic tuff ring off the eastern tip of Upolu Island, Samoa. It is the smallest and easternmost of the four Aleipata Islands, with an area of 15 hectares. It has an automated lighthouse. See also * Sam ...

(0.15 km²) * Nuʻutele (1.08 km²) * Nuʻulua (0.25 km²) Namua and Fanuatapu lie at the outer edge of the fringing

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

of Upolu, at a distance of 0.7 km and 2.5 km, respectively, from Upolu Island itself. Nuʻutele and Nuʻulua are 4 to 6 km further south, outside the fringing reef, and lie 1.4 km 3.5 km off Cape Tapaga, which is the southeastern

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

of Upolu. Only Namua is open for visitors, who can enjoy the Namua Island Resort and the beaches. Fanuatapu, being the easternmost island, has a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

Environment

The islands are uninhabited and relatively undisturbed, and provide an important refuge for native plant and animal species. The northern islands are mostly bare rock and coastal forest, while the larger southern group are mostly covered by coastal and lowland forest. The islands are home to the largest population of

Tongan ground dove The Tongan ground dove (''Pampusana stairi''), also known as the shy ground dove or friendly ground dove, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Wallis and Futuna Islands. Its natura ...

s in Samoa, as well as

Coconut crab The coconut crab (''Birgus latro'') is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world, with a weight of up to . It can grow to up to in width from the tip ...

s, and provides a nesting place for critically-endangered

Hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is largel ...

s, as wella s birds including the Samoan flycatcher and Manumean. In 2009 an attempt was made to eradicate the introduced

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, a ...

from the southern islands using air-dropped

Brodifacoum Brodifacoum is a highly lethal 4-hydroxycoumarin vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant poison. In recent years, it has become one of the world's most widely used pesticides. It is typically used as a rodenticide, but is also used to control larger ...

to provide a pest-free refuge. The attempt was unsuccessful, with rats being detected again in 2011.

References

{{Authority control Uninhabited islands of Samoa Volcanoes of Samoa Tuff cones Atua (district)