Apia, Samoa
Apia, population 38,800 (2001), is the capital of Samoa. The city is located on the northern coast of Upolu Island. It is the nation's major port and only city. Fish, and copra are the country's major exports, and cotton goods, motor vehicles, meats, and sugar are the major imports.
Location
Apia (13° 50' S 171° 50' W) is situated on a natural harbour at the mouth of the Vaisigano river. It is on a narrow coastal plain with Mt. Vaea (Elev. 472 m) directly to its south. Two main ridges run south on either side of the Vaisigano river with roads on each. The more western of these is Cross Island Road which is one of the few roads crossing to the south coast of Upolu.
City features
Mulinu'u, the old ceremonial capital, lies at the city's western end and is the location of the Parliament House (Fale Fono) as well as the historic observatory which is not the meteorology office.
An area of reclaimed land jutting into the harbour is the site of the Government Offices and the Central Bank of Samoa. In the centre of the city is a clock tower erected as a war memorial. Apia has a number of multistorey buildings of recent origin but there are still some of the early, wooden, colonial buildings scattered around the town, most notably the courthouse with the museum on the upper floor.
Also on reclaimed land is the main bus station near to the fish market and the old market which now sells handicrafts. The new market (maketi fou) is inland a bit at fugalei where it is more protected from the effects of cyclones.
Writer Robert Louis Stevenson is buried on Mt. Vaea overlooking the city and the home he built, "Vailima", which is now a museum in his honour.
