TaÃ»à « is the largest inhabited island in the Manuûa Islands in American Samoa and the easternmost volcanic island of the Samoan Islands. In the early 19th century, the island was sometimes called Opoun.
Taà « 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. TaâÂÂu also has the highest mountain in American Samoa, Mount Lata, as well as of National Park lands, and of waters separated by some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world.
On the western coast of Taà « are the conterminous villages of Lumàand Siufaga, usually referred to jointly as Taà « village. The village of Taà « has been named the capital of the Manuûa Islands. Fitiuta is another Taà « village, located on the northeast side of the island.
The Valley of Giants, located in the waters southwest of TaÃ»à «, 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 TaÃ»à « are the largest and oldest corals of their genus on Earth.
The south coast of TaÃ»à « 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.
In ancient times, the three islands of the Manuûa Group existed as a unified polity. TaÃ»à « served as the primary center of authority, hosting the Tui Manu'a paramount chieftaincy. In 1986, researchers uncovered ceramic-bearing locations in TaÃ»à « Village, including a surface find of a Polynesian Plain Ware sherd. Subsequent test excavations revealed deeper cultural layers linked to the Ancestral Polynesian period. This evidence indicated that the prehistoric developments in the Manuûa Islands generally align with those documented in larger and more thoroughly studied areas of Western Samoa.
On June 13, 1722, Commodore Jacob Roggeveen of the Dutch West India Company, commanding the Thienhoven and the Arend, approached the Manuûa Islands from the east and sighted TaÃ»à « Island. By early afternoon he was abreast of the villages on the western coast and sent a boat to search for an anchorage. Ashore, the people of TaÃ»à « were astonished and fearful at the sight of ships larger than any they had known, placing offerings of food along the beach to appease what they called âÂÂThe Sailing Gods.â The vessels anchored offshore, and Roggeveen's boat drew the curiosity of several men, who launched outrigger canoes and paddled through the surf. Passing by, they hailed the sailors in an unknown tongue, then pressed on to the great ships and climbed aboard. They sought to trade coconuts for metal nails, but the encounter was brief. Barely two hours after he had hove to, Roggeveen recalled his boat, dismissed the visitors, and set sail westward.
In 1832, Reverend John Williams made his second visit to the Samoan Islands, two years after his first. He landed first on TaÃ»à « Island, where he met Hura and learned of his efforts, then continued to Ofu and Olosega - still heathen at the time - before proceeding on to Leone.
On March 11, 1900, Commander Benjamin Franklin Tilley anchored off TaÃ»à « Village and sent a letter to the Tui Manu'a, urging him to join the chiefs of Tutuila in signing a joint Deed of Cession to the United States. The Tui Manu'a replied that he was not prepared to decide at once but agreed to meet Tilley the following day to discuss the relationship between the Manu'a Islands and the United States. While the USS Abarenda rolled offshore that afternoon, curious islanders paddled out and boarded the ship. The next morning, March 12, Tilley came ashore with Consul Luther W. Osborn, Assistant Surgeon E. M. Blackwell, and several Tutuilan chiefs. They were received by High Chief Tufele, who commanded the longboat that brought them from the Abarenda. Led to the ceremonial fale of the Tui ManuâÂÂa, they participated in a two-hour ûAva ceremony, which concluded with the arrival of the king.
During the proceedings, Tui Manuûa Elisala questioned the right of foreign powers to interfere in the affairs of what he considered a sovereign state. He acknowledged hearing of the favorable attitude toward the Americans in Tutuila and professed goodwill toward the United States, but firmly stated that ManuâÂÂa had no political connection with Tutuila, had avoided the conflicts that drew U.S. intervention, and was fully capable of governing itself. After lunch, perhaps influenced by Tutuilan persuasion, Tilley found the Tui ManuâÂÂa more cordial. Tilley invited him to sail back to Tutuila and take part in the signing of the Deed of Cession, but added that U.S. authority had already been proclaimed over TaÃ»à « regardless. In the end, the Tui ManuâÂÂa permitted some of his people to attend as observers, acknowledged U.S. sovereignty in general terms, and accepted American protection - yet he remained resolute in refusing to cede his own lands on TaÃ»à «.
In early 1987, a major hurricane struck the Manuûa Islands, with a severe impact on TaÃ»à «. Nearly all homes on the island were destroyed, leading to a Federal disaster declaration.
The island is the eroded remnant of a hotspot shield volcano with a caldera complex or collapse feature (Liu Bench) on the south face. The summit of the island, called Lata Mountain, is at an elevation of , making it the highest point in American Samoa. The last known volcanic eruption in the Manua Islands was in 1866, on the mid-ocean ridge that extends west-northwest towards nearby Ofu-Olosega.
The largest airport in the Manua Islands is on the northeast corner of Taà « at Fitiuta. There is also a private airport. A boat harbor is located at FaleÃÂsao at the northwestern corner of the island. A roadway along the north coast connects all of the several inhabited villages between Taà « on the west and Fitiuta.
All of the southeastern half of Taà «—including all of the rainforest on top of Lata Mountain and within the caldera—the southern shoreline, and associated coral reefs are part of the National Park of American Samoa. The park includes the ancient, sacred site of Saua, considered to be the birthplace of the Polynesian people.
Administratively, the island is divided into three counties: FaleÃÂsao County, Fitiûuta County, and TaÃ»à « County. Along with the Ofu and Olosega Islands, Taà « Island comprises the Manuûa District of American Samoa. The land area of Taà « Island is and it had a population of 873 persons as of the 2000 census and of 790 persons in the 2010 census.
In 2000, a subsea volcano from Taà « Island was discovered by scientists. Rockne Volcano has formed an undersea mountain which is tall. Its peak is below the ocean surface.
In the southeastern part of the island are the 450-meter high Laufuti Falls waterfall. It is located a few kilometers southwest of Saua.
The TaÃ»à « unit of the American Samoa National Park spans approximately 2,025 hectares (over 5,000 acres) and constitutes the largest section of the park. It contains predominantly unaltered coastal, lowland, montane, and cloud rain forests. On the island's southern shore, Laufuti Falls descends more than 300 meters (1,000 feet) toward the ocean.
Taà « is where the 23-year-old anthropologist Margaret Mead conducted her dissertation research in Samoa in the 1920s, published in 1928 as Coming of Age in Samoa. In her work, she studied adolescent girls and compared their experience to those of Western societies. She concluded that adolescence was a smooth transition, not marked by the emotional or psychological distress, anxiety, or confusion seen in the United States.
Until 2016, being a small and isolated island, the island relied on costly and polluting diesel generators to supply electricity. However, with the construction of a solar array, battery storage system, and microgrid, the island's power relies almost 100% from the sun. The solar array was built by SolarCity and now includes sixty Tesla Powerpacks. The system should be a more reliable source of energy and was designed to power the entire island for three days without sunlight and fully recharge in seven hours.