Pago Pago Harbor on Tutuila Island in

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internatio ...

is one of the world's largest

natural harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

s. The capital,

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...

is located on the inner reaches of the harbor, close to its northwesternmost point. It has the highest annual rainfall of any harbor in the world. It is also considered one of the best and deepest deepwater harbors in the

South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

or in

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

as a whole. Pago Pago Bay is over deep and long. As part of the Pago Volcano

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

, the harbor is 50% landlocked, Villages along the harbor include several communities in the Greater Pago Pago Area, including Utulei,

Fagatogo Fagatogo is the downtown area of Pago Pago (the territorial capital of American Samoa).Grabowski, John F. (1992). ''U.S. Territories and Possessions (State Report Series)''. Chelsea House Pub. Page 51. . Located in the low grounds at the foot of M ...

Malaloa Malaloa is a sub-village of Fagatogo and is located at the end of Pago Pago Harbor in American Samoa.Fai’ivae, Alex Godinet (2018). ''Ole Manuō o Tala Tu’u Ma Fisaga o Tala Ave''. Amerika Samoa Humanities Council. Page 9. . It is located in- ...

, Pago Pago proper,

Satala Located in Turkey, the settlement of Satala ( xcl, Սատաղ ''Satał'', grc, Σάταλα), according to the ancient geographers, was situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, a little north of the Euphrates, where the road from Trapez ...

, Anua and

Atu'u Atu'u is a village on Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located on the coast of Pago Pago Harbor, close to the capital, Pago Pago. Atu'u is the location of two tuna canneries, the main employers in American Samoa. According to business lic ...

. The

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

and High Court are located in Fagatogo, while the executive offices are located in Utulei. Pago Pago Harbor is surrounded and sheltered by mountains such as Mount ʻAlava, Mount Matafao and

Rainmaker Mountain Rainmaker Mountain (also known as Mount Pioa) is the name of a mountain located near Pago Pago, American Samoa on Tutuila Island. Rainmaker Mountain traps rain clouds and gives Pago Pago the highest annual rainfall of any harbor. The average annu ...

(Mount Pioa). The entrance to Pago Pago Bay is marked by two mountains: Peiva in the east and

Matafao Peak Matafao Peak (Samoan: Fa’asi’usi’uga o Matafao) is a mountain in American Samoa, on the island of Tutuila. With an elevation of 653 meters (2,142 ft), it is the highest peak on Tutuila Island. The mountain, like Rainmaker Mountain acr ...

in the west.Krämer, Augustin (2000). ''The Samoa Islands''. University of Hawaii Press. Page 436. . The harbor is all that remains from the

volcanic crater A volcanic crater is an approximately circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature containing one or more vents. During volcanic eruptions, molten magma and volcanic gases rise from an und ...

that built Tutuila Island. At some point, one wall of the crater collapsed and the sea came rushing in creating a near complete shelter from the power of the sea at large. The village communities which lie within the Pago Pago Bay Area are jointly known as Ma'upūtasi (“the only house of chiefs”). They are Pago Pago, Aūa, Fagatogo, Leloaloa and Faga'alu.

Tsunami

Fagatogo was struck by a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

on 29 September 2009, causing damage and

rock slide A rockslide is a type of landslide caused by rock failure in which part of the bedding plane of failure passes through compacted rock and material collapses ''en masse'' and not in individual blocks. Note that a rockslide is similar to an avalan ...

s. A significant amount of

debris Debris (, ) is rubble, wreckage, ruins, litter and discarded garbage/refuse/trash, scattered remains of something destroyed, or, as in geology, large rock fragments left by a melting glacier, etc. Depending on context, ''debris'' can refer to ...

and

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

were dumped into Pago Pago Harbor during the earthquake and tsunami, which devastated communities along the harbor's coastline, including Pago Pago. Debris including cars, household items, and boats were thrown into the harbor by the force of the wave. According to the 14-page American Samoan government report, ''Post-Tsunami Coastal Resource Damage Assessment'', "The inner section of Pago Pago Harbor is severely polluted and will require an extensive cleanup program with a significant amount of manpower ... The destruction is everywhere." An

oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into t ...

approximately 40 feet wide occurred at the mouth of Pago Pago Harbor as a result of the tsunami. Barrels containing fuel were thrown into the harbor by the tsunami and washed up on shore. It was suggested that one must avoid eating any fish or invertebrate caught in Pago Pago Harbor because they are contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants.

References

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Harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

Ports and harbors of the Pacific Ocean Landforms of American Samoa Inlets of Oceania Tutuila Geography of American Samoa Ports and harbors of the United States