Lepā is a small

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

at the southeastern end of

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...

island in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

. The village has a population of 166. It is also the name of an electoral ''faipule'' district, Lepā Electoral Constituency, which consists of six villages, including Lepā village, with a total population of 1538. Lepā should not be confused with the village of

Lepea Lepea is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. The picturesque settlement of round Samoan houses built in a concentric pattern in large open grounds (''malae'') is situated 5 minutes drive west of the capital Apia on the north central coast ...

, situated near

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

. The village and Lepā Electoral Constituency are part of the larger political district of

Atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian people such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ). The literal meaning of the Polynesian word is "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Many of the atua ...

Lepa Electoral Constituency

The six villages within Lepā Electoral Constituency includes the settlements of A'ufaga, Lealatele and Saleapaga. Lepā is the birthplace of former Samoan

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi. The Lepā area was extensively damaged in the

2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami took place on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Tonga–Kermadec subduction zone. The submarine earthquake occurred in an extensional environment and had a moment magnitude o ...

. Most of Lepā village was destroyed, leaving just the church and the village's welcome sign standing.

References

Populated places in Atua (district) {{Samoa-geo-stub