Futiga (; ) is a

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 ...

in the southwest of

Tutuila Island Tutuila is the largest and most populous island of American Samoa and is part of the archipelago of the Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Pacific Ocean, Central Pacific. It is located roughly north ...

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

. It is located inland, southwest of

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( or ; Samoan language, Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County, American Samoa, Maoputasi County on Tutuila ...

, between the villages of 'Ili'ili and Puapua. It is in Tualatai County. Futiga is home of the Fagatele Bay Site, an archeological site which was added to the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1997. Futiga is the southernmost town in the United States (because it includes Steps Point) —

Rose Atoll Rose Atoll, sometimes called Rose Island or Motu O Manu ("Bird Island") by people of the Manu'a Islands, is an oceanic atoll within the U.S. territory of American Samoa. An uninhabited wildlife refuge, it is the southernmost point belongin ...

is further south, but Rose Atoll is uninhabited.

Etymology

The name of the village, ''Futiga'', is derived from the Samoan language and translates into English as “Plucking place".

Geography

Fagatele Bay Trail is a roundtrip hiking trail to the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary from the village of Futiga. Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary is a protected nature area home to animals such as turtles and sharks. When traveling west on Route 1 to Futiga, turn left just before US Mart. Follow the road past the landfill until you reach a locked gate. The trailhead is located here.

Fogamaʻa Crater Fogamaa Crater () is a valley basin on Tutuila Island, American Samoa, immediately north of Larsen Bay. It is within the village of Futiga, just below Logotala Hill.Goldin, Meryl Rose (2002). ''Field Guide to the Samoan Archipelago: Fish, Wild ...

is a site on the shoreline in the village of Futiga. The crater lies immediately inland from Larsen Bay, which makes up two smaller coves, Fogāma'a and Fagalua. The crater illustrates the most recent episode of volcanism in American Samoa. Futiga is home to the only landfill site in American Samoa. In 2018, it was reported that the landfill only had two years left before it reached its limit.

American Samoa Power Authority The American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) is a government-run public utility company providing electricity, water, wasterwater, and waste disposal services within American Samoa. History Governor Peter T. Coleman issued an emergency executive o ...

was unable to find another site in the territory and instead began recompacting the site in Futiga. By digging up the landfill and recompacting it, the landfill may be usable for up to fifteen years longer.

Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Access to

Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (formerly the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuaryhttp://americansamoa.noaa.gov ''National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.'' NOAA.gov. Retrieved 1 January 2018.) is a federally-designated unde ...

is from the village of Futiga. Fagatele Bay is within

National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (formerly the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuaryhttp://americansamoa.noaa.gov ''National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.'' NOAA.gov. Retrieved 1 January 2018.) is a federally-designated unde ...

and is one of two designated

National Marine Sanctuaries A U.S. National Marine Sanctuary is a federally designated area within United States waters that protects areas of the marine environment with special conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, cultural, archeological, scientific, ed ...

in American Samoa. It is home to various species of animals, including

hawksbill The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largely ...

and

green sea turtles The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

. The nearest village is

Taputimu Taputimu is a village in southwestern Tutuila Island in American Samoa. It is the nearest village to the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, although the main access is from the neighboring village of Futiga, American Samoa, Futiga. It is home ...

, but the only access to the sanctuary is from Futiga. Fagatele Bay is a submerged volcanic crater surrounded by steep cliffs. It contains the last remaining stretch of coastal rainforest on Tutuila Island. A trail leads along Matautuloa Ridge to the lighthouse on the headland at Steps Point.

Demographics

Notable people

* A. U. Fuimaono, first Delegate-at-Large to the U.S. Congress from American Sāmoa. Also Director of Agriculture, Secretary of Samoan Affairs, and Senator.Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). ''Puputoa: Host of Heroes - A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900-2000''. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Page 39. ISBN 9829036022.

References

{{American Samoa Villages in American Samoa Tutuila