Samoa

Apia is the capital of Samoa, located on the island of Upolu. It’s the country’s main political and economic hub, centered around a natural harbor. By contrast, Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands, Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati, and Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city (its capital is Wellington). Context tip: Samoa (formerly Western Samoa until 1997) is a Polynesian nation that famously shifted the International Date Line in 2011 to align its week with Australia and New Zealand. Memory hook: Apia sounds like “a pier,” fitting for its busy harbor city; also, both Samoa and Apia start and end with the letter “A.” Robert Louis Stevenson lived near Apia, adding a literary link to remember the capital.