Apia, << ah PEE ah or AH pee `ah` >> (pop. 37,391), is the capital of Samoa. It lies on the northern coast of Upolu Island. Apia is the country’s commercial center and only international port. A large Roman Catholic cathedral, begun in 1885, stands on the main road. A modern government building sits on the waterfront. The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson is buried on nearby Mount Vaea. His last home, built on a hill overlooking Apia, is now a museum.
