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 Mount 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, one of the few roads crossing to the south coast of Upolu.
Administration
Apia is part of the Tuamasaga political district and of election district Vaimauga West. There is no city administration for Apia. Apia consists of some 45 individual, independent villages. Apia proper is just a small village between the mouths of the Vaisigano (east) and Mulivai (west) rivers, and is framed by Vaisigano and Mulivai villages, all 'Downtown Apia'.
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) and the historic observatory, which is now the meteorology office. In 1983, the Apia Samoa Temple was built here by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
An area of reclaimed land jutting into the harbour is the site of the multistorey government offices and the Central Bank of Samoa. In the center of the city is a clock tower erected as a war memorial. Apia has a number of multistorey buildings of recent origin, but some of the early, wooden, colonial buildings remain scattered around the town, most notably the courthouse, with a museum on the upper floor. 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 spent the last four years of his life here, and is buried on Mt. Vaea, overlooking both the city and the home he built, Vailima, which is now a museum in his honour.
Transport
Apia Harbour is by far the largest and busiest harbour in Samoa. International shipping with containers, LPG gas, and fuels all dock here. Ferries to Tokelau and American Samoa depart from here. Apia is served by a good road network, which is generally kept reasonably well maintained. Most of the main roads are sealed; the unsealed roads have lower use. Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road. Speed limits are 25 mph near the centre of town and 35 mph in the rest of the country with a 15 mph limit in special circumstances. The country has no trains or trams, but is served with an extensive bus service. People commonly walk around the town, or even for some distances outside it. There are few bicycles and motorcycles, but increasing numbers of privately owned cars. Taxis are a common form of transport. Apia has a small airstrip (Fagali'i), which is used for internal flights and some international flights to Pago Pago in American Samoa. The main international airport (Faleolo) is a 40-minute drive west of the city.
Housing
This is a mixture of old colonial houses and more modern Western-style houses, interspersed with some traditional Samoan houses.
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