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National Park of American Samoa
Rainforest and coral reef leased from Samoan villages south of the equator
The only American national park south of the equator does not own its land. Because Samoan land is held communally by families and villages under fa'asamoa, the Samoan way of life, the Park Service could not buy it, and in 1993 it signed a 50-year lease with the village councils of Tutuila, Ofu and Taʻū. The arrangement keeps traditional farming and fishing alive inside the park, which Congress authorized in 1988. In Samoan it is Pāka Faʻasao o Amerika Sāmoa.
Its three units protect paleotropical rainforest that climbs from the shore to cloud-wrapped ridges, and coral reefs holding more than 250 species of coral. Samoa flying foxes and white-naped flying foxes, large fruit bats that pollinate the forest, soar in daylight over the ridges. On Taʻū, sea cliffs climb about 3,000 feet (900 m) to Lata Mountain, at 3,170 feet (966 m) the highest point in the territory, while the white-sand beach and reef at Ofu offer some of the clearest snorkeling water in the park system. About 13 square miles (33 km²) are protected in all, including offshore waters.