, the legislative and judicial area, and Utulei

Utulei, American Samoa

Utulei is a village in American Samoa. Located there are the governor's office and the Rainmaker Hotel.-External links:*...

, the executive area.

However, because the name Pago Pago is associated with the harbor itself—the only significant port of call

Port of Call

-Synopsis:Berit, a young woman living in a working-class port town begins a relationship with Gösta, a sailor newly returned from overseas and intent upon staying on land...

 in American Samoa—Pago Pago is now generally applied not only to the village itself, but to the whole harbor area and to the villages in it. It is in this sense that Pago Pago becomes the de facto

De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...

 capital town of American Samoa.

Pago Pago is a mixture of colorful semi-urban communities, a small town, tuna canneries (which provide employment for a third of the population of Tutuila) and a harbor surrounded by dramatic cliffs, which plunge almost straight into the sea. A climb to the summit of Mt. Alava (see National Park of American Samoa

National Park of American Samoa

The National Park of American Samoa is a national park on the American territory of American Samoa, distributed across three separate islands: Tutuila, Ofu-Olosega, and Ta‘ū. The park includes coral reefs and rain forest and is popular for hiking, snorkeling, and scuba diving, although the primary...

) provides a bird's-eye view of the harbor and town.

In January 1942 Pago Pago Harbor

Pago Pago Harbor

Pago Pago Harbor is a large natural inlet in the central south coast of the island of Tutuila in American Samoa. The capital, Pago Pago is located on the inner reaches of the harbor, close to its northwesternmost point....

 was shelled by a Japanese

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...

 submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

, but this remained the only action on the islands during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Until 1980, one could experience the view from the peak by taking an aerial tramway

Aerial tramway

An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...

 over the harbor, but on April 17 of that year a U.S. Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 plane, flying overhead as part of the Flag Day

Flag Day

A flag day is a flag-related holiday—either a day designated for flying a certain flag , or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag....

 celebrations, struck the cable; the plane crashed into a wing of the Rainmaker Hotel

Rainmaker Hotel

Rainmaker Hotel was a 250-room luxury hotel in Utule'i, Pago Pago, American Samoa.It was the only proper hotel in American Samoa and was operated by the government. The hotel was at its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was known as the Pacific's Intercontinental Hotel.The hotel was once...

. The tramway was repaired, but closed not long after. The tram remains unusable, although according to Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...

, plans have been put forth to reopen it, but in December 2010 the cable was damaged by Tropical Cyclone Wilma, fell into the harbor and has not been repaired. Another noted view is that from the top of the pass above Aua Village on the road to Afono

Afono

Afono is a village on the northeast coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. One of the island's more populous villages, it is located on the edge of Afono Bay, at the eastern edge of the National Park of American Samoa...

.

Both the port itself and the legislature of American Samoa—known as the "Fono

American Samoa Fono

The Legislature of American Samoa or Fono is the territorial legislature of American Samoa. Like most state and territorial legislatures of the United States, it is a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate...

" (/ˈfono/)—are in Fagatogo, a village adjacent to Pago Pago. Similarly, the once famous Rainmaker Hotel (now closed) is in the village of Utule‘i

Utulei, American Samoa

Utulei is a village in American Samoa. Located there are the governor's office and the Rainmaker Hotel.-External links:*...

, adjacent to Fagatogo along the south shore of the long harbor. The canneries are in Atu'u

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....

, on the harbor's north shore. It is 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.

Education

The Feleti Barstow Public Library is located in Pago Pago. In 1991, Severe Tropical Cyclone Val hit Pago Pago, destroying the library that existed there. The current Barstow library, constructed in 1998, opened on April 17, 2000.

External links

• Pago Pago Village Information SamoaWorld
• Pago Pago, American Samoa National Weather Service Office
• Pago Pago Weather underground