Aunuʻu
Aunuu is a small volcanic island off the southeastern shore of Tutuila in Saole County, American Samoa. It has a land area of , and a 2010 census population of 436 persons. Politically, it is a part of the Eastern District, one of the two primary political divisions of American Samoa. Aunuu Crater contains the freshwater Faimulivai Marsh, the largest such wetland in American Samoa. It was formed from the drainage of the low-lying crater. It is part of a protected National Natural Landmark on Aunuu that was designated in 1972. The Pacific black duck was seen in the  marsh in 1976, but it may now be extinct in the region; another significant local bird is the purple swamphen. This marsh is the only place in American Samoa where the Chinese water chestnut grows. Since the 1960s, the Aunuu people’s main economic activity has been growing taro and producing faausi. Geography. Aunuu has three villages: Saluavatia (the second Vatia former residence of Paramount Chief Gaoteote), Leaouliuli, and Alofasau. However, politically, the tulafale divides the island into two sections, Saleaaumua and Saole. Saluavatia and half of Leaouliuli belong to Saole, while Alofsau and the other half of Leaouliuli belong  to Saleaaumua. Aunuu is a car-free island, but motorboats, operating nonstop, shuttle people to its small boat harbor at Auasi. A lake, called “Red Lake,” is nestled in the island’s sprawling crater. Hiking the island is difficult, as it is densely forested and full of thick bushes, with steep cliffs along the south coast. The island has a stretch of red quicksand at Pala Lake, fairly close to the village, and taro swamps behind the village. There is a cove, called “Maamaa Cove,” on the east side of the island. Geology. The island is less than 1 sq . mi. in area, and around half of that area is a cultivated plain on which Aunuu’s villages are located. There are several beaches consisting of coral rubble and sand, and sea cliffs. The eastern half of Aunuu is rimmed by a geologically recent volcanic cone. The highest point on the crater rim is 310 feet above sea level. Within the crater is the Faimulivai Marsh, which contains a freshwater pond. The crater is one of the few places in American Samoa where evidence of the more recent episodes of volcanism can be observed. The eruptions at Aunuu occurred at  approximately the same time as the volcanism at Leala Shoreline in Taputimu, while the eruptions that formed Rainmaker Mountain, Matafao Peak, and the ridges of Vaiava Strait are much older. Aunuu Island has the only quicksand area in American Samoa, and also the territory's only lakes: Pala Lake is just north of the village, and Red Lake is inside the crater. Maamaa Cove is on the far eastern edge of the crater. Wildlife. Aunuu has a population of around fifty gray ducks (anas superciliosa), locally known as toloa. Pairs of these birds have also been sighted in Futiga, Nuuuli , Alao, and Leone, however, they may not be based on those islands; they may belong to the population that lives on Aunuu.