Pala Lagoon is an indentation in the south coast 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 ...

in American Samoa. The villages of Nuʻuuli and

Tafuna Tafuna () is a village in Tualauta County, Western District, American Samoa. It is the most populous village in American Samoa, with a population of 7,988 according to the 2020 U.S. census. Tafuna is the principal area for the development of hou ...

are located on its shore. Pala Lagoon is approximately one mile across and has a surface area of around The lagoon's depth varies from - depending on the tide. The deepest areas of the lagoon were dredged when the

Tafuna Airport Pago Pago International Airport , also known as Tafuna Airport, is a public airport located 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of the central business district of Pago Pago, in the village and plains of Tafuna on the island of Tutuila in American ...

runway was built in the 1960s. The entrance to the lagoon is about wide with a shallow reef top - in depth. Along the northern and eastern shores, a forest is located with

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

and oriental mangroves. The lagoon's northern shore has various streams which discharge into Pala Lagoon. The largest streams are Papa and Vaitele. There is a public recreation area known as Lions Park on the western edge of the lagoon, in the village of Tafuna. Pala Lagoon is also utilized for fishing and crabbing on a daily basis. It is a very important nursery and spawning ground for many fish and invertebrates found on the reef. Pala Lagoon is situated next to the runway at

. The lagoon contains the biggest and best preserved mangrove system on Tutuila Island.National Park Feasibility Study (Page 62)
/ref>

References

{{Lakes in the United States Landforms of American Samoa Tutuila Tafuna, American Samoa

See also

References