Taʻū

Taʻū is the largest inhabited island in the Manuʻa Islands in American Samoa and the easternmost volcanic island of the Samoan Islands. In the early 19th century, the island was sometimes called Opoun. Taʻū is well known as the site where the American anthropologist Margaret Mead conducted her dissertation research in Samoa in the 1920s, after which she published her findings in a work titled Coming of Age in Samoa. Ta’u also has the highest mountain in American Samoa, Mount Lata, as well as 21 square kilometers (8.3 sq mi) of National Park lands, and 3.9 km2 (1.5 sq mi) of waters separated by some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world. On the western coast of Taʻū are the conterminous villages of Lumā and Siufaga, usually referred to jointly as Taʻū village. The village of Taʻū has been named the capital of the Manuʻa Islands. Fitiuta is another Taʻū village, located on the northeast side of the island. The Valley of Giants, located in the waters southwest of Taʻū, is home to one of the world's largest and oldest coral colonies. Its most notable feature is Big Momma ("Fale Bommie"), a massive coral formation standing 6.4 meters high with a circumference of 41 meters. It is estimated to be over 530 years old. It is recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the largest known coral head in the world. The massive Porites coral heads at Taʻū are the largest and oldest corals of their genus on Earth. The south coast of Taʻū Island is home to the tallest sea cliffs on Earth, which rise to a height of 3,000 feet. Visitors can walk along the coastline at the base of the cliffs.

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