Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa.
Pago Pago is home to one of the deepest natural harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered from wind and rough seas, and strategically located.United States Central Intelligence Agency (2016). The World Factbook 2016–17. Government Printing Office. p. 19. .Grabowski, John F. (1992). U.S. Territories and Possessions (State Report Series). Chelsea House Pub. .Kristen, Katherine (1999). Pacific Islands (Portrait of America). San Val. . The harbor is also one of the best protected in the South Pacific,Leonard, Barry (2009). Minimum Wage in American Samoa 2007: Economic Report. Diane Publishing. . which gives American Samoa a natural advantage because it makes landing fish for processing easier. Tourism, entertainment, food, and tuna canning are its main industries. As of 1993, Pago Pago was the world's fourth-largest tuna processor.Stanley, David (1993). South Pacific Handbook. David Stanley. . In 2009, the total value of fish landed in Pago Pago—about $200,000,000 annually—is higher than in any other port in any U.S. state or territory. It is home to the largest tuna cannery in the world.Hamel, Jean-Francois (2018). World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation. Volume II: The Indian Ocean to the Pacific. Academic Press. p. 636. .Chi, Sang and Emily Moberg Robinson (2012). Voices of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience. ABC-CLIO. p. 54. .U.S. Government Printing Office (2010). Impact of Increased Minimum Wage of [i.e. On] American Samoa and CNMI. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. p. 13. .
Pago Pago is the main port of American Samoa.Carter, John (1984). Pacific Islands Yearbook 1981. Pacific Publications Pty, Limited. p. 49. .Encyclopædia Britannica (2003). The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Volume 25. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. p. 288. .C. Balme (2006). Pacific Performances: Theatrically and Cross-Cultural Encounter in the South Seas. Springer. p. 156. . It is also home to the territorial government.Swaney, Deanna (1994). Samoa: Western & American Samoa: a Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit. Lonely Planet Publications. . The Greater Pago Pago Metropolitan Area encompasses some six villages strung together along Pago Pago Harbor.Mack, Doug (2017). The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches From the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA. W.W. Norton & Company. p. 62. . One of the villages is itself named Pago Pago, and in 2020, that village had a population of 3,000. The constituent villages are: Utulei, Fagatogo, Malaloa, Pago Pago, Satala and Atu'u. Fagatogo is the downtown area, referred to as "town", and is home to the territory's bicameral legislature (the Fono), police department, the Port of Pago Pago, and many shops and hotels. The executive government's seat, Government House, is in Utulei.
In 2000, the Greater Pago Pago area was home to 8,000 residents;Lal, Brij V. and Kate Fortune (2000). The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. University of Hawaii Press. p. 101. . by 2010 the population had increased to 15,000.Sparks, Karen Jacobs (2010). Britannica Book of the Year 2010. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. p. 509. .
Rainmaker Mountain (Mount Pioa), located near Pago Pago, contributes to a weather pattern that results in the city having the highest annual rainfall of any harbor in the world.Atkinson, Brett and Charles Rawlings-Way (2016). Lonely Planet Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga (Travel Guide). Lonely Planet. p. 147. . It stands protectively over the eastern side of Pago Pago, making the harbor one of the most sheltered deepwater anchorages in the Pacific Ocean.Sunia, Fofo I.F. (2009). A History of American Samoa. Amerika Samoa Humanities Council. .
Historically, the strategic location of Pago Pago Bay played a direct role in the political separation of Western and Eastern Samoa. The initial reason that the U.S. was interested in Tutuila was its desire to use Pago Pago Harbor as a coaling station. The town has the distinction of being the southernmost U.S. capital, and the only one located in the Southern Hemisphere.
Etymology and pronunciation The origin of the name Pago Pago is uncertain. One hypothesis suggests that it is derived from the Samoan language, where it is interpreted to mean "place of prayer."The city trip guide for Pago Pago (2024). YouGuide Ltd. p. 2. .
The letter "g" in Samoan sounds like "ng"; thus Pago Pago is pronounced "pahngo pahngo."Cruise Travel Vol. 2, No. 1 (July 1980). Lakeside Publishing Co. p. 60. .Craig, Robert D. (2004). Handbook of Polynesian Mythology. ABC-CLIO. p. 17. .Fraser, Peter (2010). More Curious Than Cautious. Dog Ear Publishing. p. 122. .Leib, Amos Patten (1972). The Many Islands of Polynesia. Schuster Merchandise. p. 60. .
An early name for Pago Pago was Long Bay (Samoan: O le Fagaloa), which was a name used by the first permanent inhabitants to settle in the Pago Pago area.Gray, John Alexander Clinton (1960). Amerika Samoa: a history of American Samoa and Its United States Naval Administration. United States Naval Institute. p. 123.Gray, John Alexander Clinton (1980). Amerika Samoa. Arno Press. . It was also called O le Maputasi ("The Single Chief's House") in compliment to the Mauga, who lived at Gagamoe in Pago Pago and was the senior to all the other chiefs in the area.
For a brief period in the 1830s, Pago Pago was also known as Cuthbert's Harbor, named after British Captain Cuthbert, who was the first European to enter Pago Pago Harbor.Richards, Rhys (1992). Samoa's Forgotten Whaling Heritage: American Whaling in Samoan Waters 1824–1878. Lithographic Services, Limited. p. 63. .
History
Pago Pago was first settled 4,000 years ago.Stahl, Dean A. and Karen Landen (2001). Abbreviations Dictionary. CRC Press. p. 1451. . The area was initially settled by Polynesian navigators, who established a vibrant community rooted in agriculture, fishing, and the distinct cultural practices of Samoan society. There is archeological evidence of people living in the Pago Pago Valley at least 1500–1300 years ago.Sand, Christophe and David J. Addison (2008). Recent Advances in the Archaeology of the Fiji/West-Polynesia Region. Department of Anthropology, Gender and Sociology. University of Otago. Dunedin: New Zealand. p. 93. . The ancient people of Tutuila produced clay pottery known as Samoan Plainware. The majority of these open bowls had plain designs and featured rounded bases. Such pottery has been retrieved from sites in Pago Pago, including at Vaipito. The production of such pottery ceased approximately 1500 years ago.Craig, Peter (2009). Natural history guide to American Samoa. National Park of American Samoa. p. 19. Retrieved on January 20, 2024, from .Sand, Christophe and David J. Addison (2008). Recent Advances in the Archaeology of the Fiji/West-Polynesia Region. Department of Anthropology, Gender and Sociology. University of Otago. Dunedin: New Zealand. p. 110. . A site in the Vaipito Valley has also revealed more substantial elements, such as constructions made from rocks, like house foundations and terraces (lau mafola).Rieth, Tim (2008). How Dark Are They? The Samoan Dark Ages, ~1500–1000 BP. Retrieved on January 20, 2024, from https://www.academia.edu/1758604/How_Dark_Are_They_The_Samoan_Dark_Ages_1500-1000_BP .Sand, Christophe and David J. Addison (2008). Recent Advances in the Archaeology of the Fiji/West-Polynesia Region. Department of Anthropology, Gender and Sociology. University of Otago. Dunedin: New Zealand. p. 91. .
Ceramic findings have been retrieved at Vaipito, an inland area within Pago Pago village. A deposit here is thought to be an old hill-slope below a living area where people threw away their waste. Numerous large ceramic pieces have been retrieved here. The layer with the ceramics dates back to the time between 350 BCE and 10 CE. Another site, Fo'isia, is located approximately 100 meters from Vaipito, at the same elevation inland in Pago Pago. During sewer line construction, the American Samoa Power Authority noticed many broken pieces of clay pottery. Five dates associated with the ceramics indicate a time range between 370 BCE and 130 CE.Sand, Christophe and David J. Addison (2008). Recent Advances in the Archaeology of the Fiji/West-Polynesia Region. Department of Anthropology, Gender and Sociology. University of Otago. Dunedin: New Zealand. p. 103. .
Tongan rule The island of Tutuila was part of the Tuʻi Tonga Empire from the invasion around 950 CE to when Tongans were expelled in 1250. According to Samoan folklore, a warrior from Pago Pago, Fua'au, is associated with driving the Tongans out of Tutuila. According to the legend, Fua'au's fiancé, Tauoloasi'i, was kidnapped and taken to Tonga while sleeping on an exquisite mat known as Moeilefuefue. Filled with anger at the loss of his fiancé and the renowned mat, Fua'au rallied the Tutuilans, encouraging them to revolt against the Tongan rule imposed by Lautivunia.Pearl, F. B. (2004). The Chronology of Mountain Settlements on Tutuila, American Samoa. The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 113(4), 331–348. p. 334. Retrieved on January 21, 2024, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20707242.
During the period of Tongan rule, political opponents and defeated Samoan warriors were exiled to Pago Pago. The surrounding settlements effectively functioned as a Samoan penal colony. In response to the oppression, the Samoans, under the leadership of paramount chief Malietoa, eventually revolted against their Tongan rulers.Todd, Ian (1974). Island Realm: A Pacific Panorama. Angus & Robertson. p. 69. . According to one source, it was Chief Fua'autoa of Pago Pago who successfully expelled the Tongans from Pago Pago.Krämer, Augustin (1994). The Samoa Islands: Constitution, pedigrees and traditions. University of Hawaiʻi Press. p. 436. .
Old Pago Pago Until 1722, Pago Pago, like several other villages in American Samoa such as Fagasā and Vatia, existed as a ridge-top settlement. This upland community, now part of the National Park of American Samoa, was strategically situated to provide safety during a period marked by inter-island conflicts involving Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, and Tonga. The elevated location offered protection from coastal raids, as attackers arriving by boat posed a significant threat to shoreline settlements. By 1772, the majority of families had relocated from the highlands to the coast, establishing new homes near the shoreline. However, oral histories indicate that a few households continued to reside or farm in the upland areas into the late 19th century. Archeological findings at the site of Old Pago Pago include ancient rock walls, building foundations, and graves. Some of these graves are believed to belong to chiefs or ceremonial figures, such as a taupou (a ceremonial maiden), with legends suggesting one may have been interred in a bonito boat. The remnants of Old Pago Pago are accessible via the Mount 'Alava Trailhead at Fagasā Pass, just west of Vaipito Valley.Linnekin, Jocelyn, Hunt, Terry, Lang, Lang and McCormick, Timothy (November 2006). "Ethnographic Assessment and Overview: National Park of American Samoa". Technical Report 152. Pacific Cooperative Parks Study Unit. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
When Westerners first visited Tutuila, the Mauga was the leading matai (chief) of Pago Pago.Lutali, A.P. and William J. Stewart. The Chieftal System in Twentieth Century America: Legal Aspects of the Matai System in the Territory of American Samoa. 4 Ga. J. Int'l & Compar. L. 387 (1974). p. 390. Retrieved on January 20, 2024, from https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/gjicl/vol4/iss2/8/ .
19th century
Early European encounters (1791–1830)