Samoan Islands

The Samoan Islands are a Polynesian island group is located east of Fiji in the central Pacific Ocean and is part of Oceania.

The larger islands of the group are of volcanic origin and characterized by steep, densely vegetated mountain slopes. The smaller islands are formed from coral reefs. Not all of the islands are inhabited. Highest point of the group, with about 1,858 m, the volcano Silisili on Savaii.

Jacob Roggeveen named the island group in 1722, " Bouman Eylanden " ( German: Baumann Islands) to Captain Cornelis Bouman, the commander of his ship Thien Hoven. Louis Antoine de Bougainville christened 1768 " îles du Navigateur ", a name which appears in German publications as " Schiffer islands " or " Navigator Islands ".

Politically include Western Samoa to 1962 newly independent island state of Samoa (until 1997 " Western Samoa " called ) with the capital Apia on Upolu. The eastern islands form the U.S. foreign territory American Samoa capital Pago Pago on Tutuila.