I mainly associate Samoa with rugby, but remember it being visited on “MasterChef New Zealand” so I’m sure there is some exciting stuff to discover. There’s no dressing up that some of these questions are real monsters and should never see the light of day in a balanced quiz.
Questions
Robert Louis Stevenson is buried on which Samoan mountain that overlooks the country’s capital Apia, with his villa in the village of Vailima at its base being home to a museum dedicated to the writer?
MOUNT VAEA
On which second largest of the Samoan islands is the capital Apia, along with the burial place of Robert Louis Stevenson on Mount Vaea?
UPOLU
Much less populous than the smaller Upolu, what is the largest island of Samoa? It is home to Silisili, the country’s highest mountain.
SAVAI’I
Also giving its name to the smallest of Samoa’s four inhabited islands, which strait separates the islands of Upolu and Savai’i?
APOLIMA
Lying in the Apolima Strait and home to less than 1,000 people, what is the third largest of Samoa’s four inhabited islands?
MANONO
Nu’utele, Nu’ulua, Fanuatapu and Namua make up what group of uninhabited islands, volcanic remnants that are found a short distance east of Upolu and included as part of Samoa’s ancient Atua district?
ALEIPATA ISLANDS
Its largest and most populous island being Tutuila, which unincorporated territory’s westernmost point lies about 40 miles to the east of Samoa?
AMERICAN SAMOA
The nearest sovereign nation to Samoa is which country that lies over 500 miles to its south-west, with the non-sovereign island groups of American Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, Tokelau and Niue all being closer?
TONGA
How many white stars are in the blue quarter of the Samoan flag, the one of the lowest magnitude being Ginan, a name which refers to the dillybag woven from plant fibres by Australian Aborigines?
FIVE
The daughter of Samoa’s first Prime Minister and often seen wearing a flower in her hair, who has served as the seventh Prime Minister of Samoa since 2021, the first woman to take on the role?
FIAME NAOMI MATA’AFA
What term for ‘head of state’ is used for the ceremonial president of Samoa, the holder since 2017 having the insanely long tongue-twisting name of Tuimaleali’ifano Va’aleto’a Sualauvi II?
O LE AO O LE MALO
Divided into 100 sene and derived from a German word, what is the currency of Samoa? The reverse side of the $5 note features Robert Louis Stevenson’s Villa Vailima.
TALA
Because of the impressive seafaring skills of the Samoans, pre-20th century European explorers referred to their entire island group by what name?
NAVIGATOR ISLANDS
Which village on the north-western tip of Upolu has an archaeological site with evidence of Lapita culture and serves as the main ferry terminal across the Apolima Strait to Savai’i?
MULIFANUA
When the 2007 Pacific Games were held in Samoa, the village of Mulifanua hosted an event where competitors used a va’a. What is the two-word term by which this sport is known, with Tahiti having been the dominant force in the region?
OUTRIGGER CANOEING
Who was a famous woman warrior who was deified in ancient Samoan religion and whose patronage was highly sought after by successive Samoan rulers? Her name has been used for a volcanic cone that makes up part of the active seamount Vailulu’u in American Samoa.
NAFANUA
The Sa Tupua are descendants and heirs of which 16th century queen, with them ruling in the centuries following her reign? An assistant referee that carries this surname represented Samoa at the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and 2023.
SALAMASINA
From which of the four tama-a-aiga, a term that means something like ‘sons of the families’, is the o le ao o le malo Sualauvi II, this being included in the full rendering of his name?
TUIMALEALI’IFANO
Choosing to rule there after defeating his siblings for control of Samoa, which king had his ancient capital at Falefa on the north-eastern coast of Upolu?
FONOTI
Which of the four tama-a-aiga translates as ‘great warrior’, coming from the final words uttered by the deposed Tu’i Tonga as he and his entourage fled from the Samoans to their boats?
MALIETOA
Who was the first known non-Polynesian to sight the Samoan Islands in 1722, much more famous for discovering somewhere else?
JACOB ROGGEVEEN
Writer of the originally titled travel log “A Voyage Around the World”, which French explorer gave Samoa the name of the Navigator Islands in 1768?
LOUIS-ANTOINE DE BOUGAINVILLE
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