Travel in American Samoa
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Informations on American Samoa: history, politics, economy, culture, Did you mean: American Samoa
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Pago Pago |
| Government | NA |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) |
| Area | total: 199 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island water: 0 sq km land: 199 sq km |
| Population | 68,688 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English note: most people are bilingual |
| Religion | Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30% |
American Samoa is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean that lie about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand and about 100km east of the island country of Samoa, which is part of the same archipelago.
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. In practical terms, this means very little. The citizens of American Samoa are US "nationals" and not US "citizens," but they are allowed to travel freely between the American Samoa and the US Mainland. They are not required to obtain greencards or visas to stay or work in the United States, and they are allowed to serve (and often do serve) in the US armed forces. There are some ways that American Samoa's special status as an unincorporated territory have 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 constitutional rights in American Samoa.
| Table of contents |
Regions
- Tutuila - The main island.
- Ofu
- Olosega
- Ta'u
- Rose_Island
- Swains_Island
- Administrative divisions
- none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Western
Cities
Pago_Pago (pronounced "Pango Pango") - capital city
- Ports and harbors
- Aunu'u (new construction), Auasi, Faleosao, Ofu, Ta'u
Other destinations
Understand
- Population
- 68,688 (July 2002 est.)
The islands are frequently referred to as Samoa, which is the name of a separate island, and independent country, that used to be known as Western Samoa, that lies 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 B. C. by Polynesian navigators, Samoa was discovered 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 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 - the following year.
US occupation of the islands came in 1900, following an agreement with Germany, which kept control of what is now Samoa. (Samoa subsequently fell under New Zealand control after WWI before becoming independent.)
- National holiday
- Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
- Nationality
- noun: American Samoan(s)
adjective: American Samoan - Ethnic groups
- Samoan (Polynesian) 89%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan 4%, other 5%
- Religions
- Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30%
- Country name
- conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa
abbreviation: AS - Dependency status
- unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
Electricity
Officially 120V 60Hz, which is identical to the U.S. and Canadian standard. Outlets are North American NEMA 5-15 grounded outlets, identical to standard U.S. and Canadian wall outlets. Occasionally non-grounded NEMA 1-15 outlets may be found. Non-grounded outlets do not accept the third, round pin present on grounded plugs. Adapters are available to allow equipment with grounded (three-pin) plugs to plug into non-grounded outlets while avoiding the otherwise necessary step of cutting the grounding pin off of the plug.
Additionally, U.S. and Canadian outlets are polarized. Polarized means that one of the two vertical blades is taller/wider than the other. This is a safety feature which restricts a non-grounded plug from being inserted into an outlet "upside down". Older North American outlets found in much of Central and South America, the Caribbean and other areas may not be polarized. As such, polarized plugs may not fit into non-polarized outlets. To remedy this, the wider vertical blade on a polarized plug may be filed down to match the width of the other. Otherwise, adapters are available which accept a polarized plug and adapt it for use with a non-polarized outlet.
Geography
- Geographic coordinates
- 14 20 S, 170 00 W
- Area
- total land: 199 sq km
note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island - Coastline
- 116 km
- Maritime claims
- exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM - Climate
- tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season from November to April, dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation
- Terrain
- five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
- Highest point
- Lata 966 m
- Natural resources
- pumice, pumicite
- Land use
- arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 10%
other: 85% (1998 est.) - Natural hazards
- Tropical cyclones (typhoons/hurricanes) common from December to March
- Environment - current issues
- limited natural fresh water resources; the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines
- Geography - note
- Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean
Get in
By plane
Transportation
- Airports
- 4 (2001)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) - Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
By boat
Get around
By car
- Highways
- total: 350 km
paved: 150 km
unpaved: 200 km
By bus
Talk
- The native language is Samoan, a Polynesian language related to Hawaiian and other Pacific island languages.
- English is widely spoken, and most people can at least understand it. Most people are bilingual to some degree.
Buy
Economy
- Economy - overview
- This is a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa conducts most of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well-being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism, a developing sector, has been held back by the recurring financial difficulties in East Asia.
- GDP
- purchasing power parity - $500 million (2000 est.)
- GDP - per capita
- purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2000 est.)
- Labor force
- 14,000 (1996)
- Labor force - by occupation
- government 33%, tuna canneries 34%, other 33% (1990) (1990)
- Unemployment rate
- 6% (2000)
- Budget
- revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants)
expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97) - Industries
- tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts
- Electricity - production
- 130 million kWh (2000)
- Electricity - production by source
- fossil fuel: 100% (2000)
- Electricity - consumption
- 120.9 million kWh (2000)
- Agriculture - products
- bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock
- Exports
- $345 million (1999)
- Exports - commodities
- canned tuna 93%
- Exports - partners
- US 99.6%
- Imports
- $452 million (1999)
- Imports - commodities
- materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6%
- Imports - partners
- US 62%, Australia 11%, Japan 9%, NZ 7%, Fiji 4%, other 7%
- Economic aid - recipient
- important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994
- Currency
- US dollar (USD)
- Currency code
- USD
- Exchange rates
- the US dollar is used
- Fiscal year
- 1 October - 30 September
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Learn
Work
Stay safe
Stay healthy
Respect
Contact
Telecommunications
- Telephones - main lines in use
- 13,000 (1997)
- Telephones - mobile cellular
- 2,550 (1997)
- Telephone system
- general assessment: NA
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) - Radio broadcast stations
- AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
- Radios
- 57,000 (1997)
- Television broadcast stations
- 1 (1997)
- Televisions
- 14,000 (1997)
- Internet country code
- .as
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 1 (2000)
Get out
External links
- Office of Tourism (http://www.amsamoa.com/tourism/)