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American Samoa
Earth : Oceania : Polynesia : American Samoa

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Quick Facts
Capital Pago Pago
Government unincorporated territory of the United States
Currency US dollar (USD)
Area 199km²
Population 57,794 (July 2006 est.)
Language Official:Samoan and English
Religion Christian Congregationalist 50%, LDS (Mormon) 25%, Roman Catholic 20%, and other 5%
Electricity 120V/60Hz (North American plug)
Country code +1 684
Internet TLD .as
Time Zone UTC -11
American Samoa is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean that lie about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand and about 100km east of the island country of Samoa, which is part of the same archipelago, ethnicity and culture.

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. The citizens of American Samoa are US "nationals" and not US "citizens," but they are allowed to travel freely between American Samoa and the US mainland. They are not required to obtain green cards or visas to stay or work in the United States, and they are allowed to serve in the US armed forces (and often do). There are some ways that American Samoa’s special status as an unincorporated territory has interesting legal consequences. The US Constitution is not necessarily the supreme law of the land in American Samoa, and Samoan cultural norms, in particular those related to the ownership of property and public displays of religion, actually trump certain well-settled US constitutional rights in American Samoa.

The main city is Pago Pago but the smaller Fagatogo is the constitutionally designated seat of government. The governor’s office is located in the village of Utulei, located on the opposite side of Fagatogo from Pago Pago.

Regions Edit

Map of American Samoa
Tutuila – The main island. The major part of the populations as well as the government and international airport is located here.
Ofu – widely regarded as one of the most stunning beaches in the South Pacific, with its high peaks dropping dramatically to sparkling white sand beaches, where the only other footsteps apart from your own are those of crabs
Olosega – connected by a narrow bridge to neighboring Ofu.
Ta’u
Aunu’u – Small island located by the eastern tip of the main island Tutuila.
Rose Island
Swains Island

Cities Edit
Pago Pago (pronounced "Pang-o Pang-o") – capital city

Other destinations
Understand Edit
Population was 57,496, according to the July 2008 estimate.

These islands were frequently referred to as Samoa, which is actually the name of a separate and independent country, that used to be known as Western Samoa, that lies only about 100km west of American Samoa. Also, the whole island group, including Samoa, are often identified as the Samoan islands.

Settled as early as 1000 BCE by Polynesian navigators, Samoa was reached by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany (later Britain) and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion, a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago in the following year.

American Samoa is warm, humid and rainy year-round, but there is a long, wet summer season (October – May) and a slightly cooler and drier season (June – September). Total annual rainfall is 125 inches at the Tafuna airport and 200+ inches in mountainous areas. Such rainfall gave the English writer Somerset Maugham the name for his short story "Rain", based in Pago Pago, which was subsequently turned into a play and movie.

90% of the land in the group of islands is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US and the greater part of its foreign trade is with the US. The private sector is dominated by tuna fishing and the tuna processing plants, canned tuna being the primary export. Monetary transfers from the US Government also add substantially to American Samoa’s economic well-being. Since the emergence of US influence and control the government of the United States of America has put up resistance to the emergence of local independence movements. Following the lead of the British and Germans in Western Samoa, in the early 20th century the American Samoa Mau movement was actively suppressed by the US Navy as well.

The Governor of American Samoa is the head of government and exercises executive power. American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Its constitution was ratified in 1966 and came into effect in 1967.

In both American Samoa and (independent) Samoa there is traditional village political system common to all of the Samoa Islands, the "fa’amatai" and the "fa’asamoa" interacts across the current international boundaries. The Fa’asamoa represents language and customs, and the Fa’amatai the protocols of the "fono" (council) and the chief system. The Fa’amatai and the Fono take place at all levels of the Samoan body politic, from the family, to the village and include regional and national matters. Do not get confused by the fact that none of the places on this page are described by precise addresses, as such a thing does not exist at American Samoa. Instead everything is described by village and further landmarks.

American Samoa Visitors Bureau, Level 1, Suite #200, Haleck Center, Corner Ottoville Rd & Ili’ili Rd, Ottoville, Pago Pago, ☎ +1 684 699-9805, (Fax: +1 684 699-9806, info])
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Last edited 14 days ago by an anonymous user
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