Living in Samoa | How 200,000 People Live on Volcanic Islands in the Pacific | 4K Travel Documentary

In 2011, Samoa erased Friday, December 30th from the calendar. Over a century earlier, it lived through July 4th twice. This is a deep dive into Samoa, the small volcanic nation between Hawaii and New Zealand. Its postcard beaches hide strict village rules, a painful colonial past and an economy that leans on family living abroad. In this video: The crater lake on Upolu where goldfish swim wild The manumea, the critically endangered closest living relative of the dodo The 1889 cyclone that wrecked six German and American warships in Apia harbor The 1918 flu that killed about one in five Samoans while American Samoa next door had no deaths The 2021 crisis that left the first female prime minister to be sworn in under a tent Why Samoa switched to driving on the left in a single morning in 2009 Why you almost certainly can't buy a beach here 00:00 The day that never happened 00:44 Where Samoa is 02:15 Volcanoes, reefs and wildlife 05:10 Island by island 07:41 Traders, cyclones and colonies 10:29 Flu, the Mau and Black Saturday 13:53 Fa'a Samoa: village life 20:10 Money from overseas 23:55 Strange and little-known facts 27:56 Raw fish, umu and palolo 30:46 Moving to Samoa 32:45 Samoa vs. the US and Europe Which fact surprised you most: the missing Friday or the beach you can't buy? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more countries explained.