River · Samoa
Vaisigano
The Vaisigano is the main river of Samoa and flows through the capital, Apia, on the island of Upolu. It drops from forested hills and reaches the Pacific Ocean right beside the harbour.
Where is the Vaisigano?
The river starts here: Forested hills above Apia, Upolu.
It ends in the Pacific Ocean at Apia on Upolu.
Countries on the river: Samoa.
The story behind it
The Vaisigano is short, but for Samoa it matters enormously. Its two branches meet above the town, and the water then runs past houses, schools and the market of Apia before sliding into the sea. Upstream a small hydro plant makes electricity, and pipes take drinking water from the same valley. People swim in shady pools under breadfruit trees, and eels live between the rocks. In the rainy season, however, the friendly river can become dangerous: during a bad storm it once burst out of its bed and flooded whole streets of the capital, so today higher walls and wider channels protect the town. Books give slightly different lengths for the Vaisigano, because it is hard to say exactly where such a small mountain stream really begins.
Questions children ask
How long is the Vaisigano?
The Vaisigano is given as about 11.5 km long. The figure is not certain, because the small headwater streams are counted in different ways. Even so, it is the best known river of Samoa.
Which country does the Vaisigano flow through?
The Vaisigano flows through Samoa, on the island of Upolu. Its whole course lies within the capital region around Apia. Because Samoa is an island country, the river meets no border.
Where does the Vaisigano flow into?
The Vaisigano flows into the Pacific Ocean at Apia. Its mouth lies close to the harbour, where fishing boats and ferries lie at anchor. A bridge in the middle of town crosses the river just before that.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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