Fatu Rock is a natural landmark and offshore islet of
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 Internationa ...
. It is located near the entrance of
Pago Pago Harbor
Pago Pago Harbor on Tutuila Island in American Samoa is one of the world's largest natural harbors. The capital, Pago Pago is located on the inner reaches of the harbor, close to its northwesternmost point. It has the highest annual rainfall of ...
, close to the village of
Fatumafuti
Fatu-ma-futi is a village in central Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located at the easternmost point of the entrance to Pago Pago Harbor, south of Pago Pago
Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of N ...
. Fatu and nearby Futi are also known as Flowerpot Rock.
Legend has it that a couple, who was named Fatu and Futi, had sailed from
Savai'i looking for
Tutuila Island
Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, A ...
. When their canoe sank, the couple were transformed into these tree-topped islets.
[Talbot, Dorinda and Deanna Swaney (1998). ''Samoa''. Lonely Planet. Page 161. .]
The islet measures about 49 by 24 meters, or some 920 square meters in area. It has very steep, near vertical sides, reaching a height of 32 meters. Its top is densely wooded.
Since 2011,
car plates
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificatio ...
on American Samoa have featured an image of Fatu Rock.
See also
*
Desert island
A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereot ...
*
List of islands
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water
A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plan ...
References
Uninhabited islands of American Samoa
Rock formations of Oceania
{{AmericanSamoa-geo-stub