Manu'a

Manuʻa, or the Manuʻa Islands Group (Samoan: Manuʻa tele), in the Samoan Islands, consists of three main islands: Taʻu, Ofu and Olosega. The islands are located some 110 km (70 mi) east of Tutuila and are a part of American Samoa.

Politically, the islands form the Manu'a District, one of the three administrative divisions of American Samoa.

Geography

All three islands are high islands: volcanic remnants rising out of the sea 14° south of the equator. In contrast to most places in the world, the population of these islands has been decreasing steadily for decades. In the 1930s some 20% of the population of American Samoa lived in the Manuʻa Islands. By the 1980s, only 6% were located there. Emigration is the consequence of a lack of economic opportunities and a desire of young people to participate in the more modern lifestyle offered on Tutuila (Office of Tourism, 2005). All the land of Manuʻa is owned communally by Samoan families of Manuʻa, including the National Parks lands which are only leased to the US National Parks system for 50 years.