American Samoa

American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the south Pacific Ocean. Centered on 14.3°S 170.7°W / -14.3; -170.7, it is 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the island country of Samoa, east of the International Date Line and the Wallis and Futuna Islands, west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and some 310 miles (500 km) south of Tokelau. American Samoa is the southernmost territory of the United States, situated 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of the U.S. state of Hawaii, and one of two U.S. territories south of the Equator, along with the uninhabited Jarvis Island. American Samoa consists of the eastern part of the Samoan archipelago – the inhabited volcanic islands of Tutuila, Aunuʻu, Ofu, Olosega and Taʻū and the uninhabited Rose Atoll – as well as Swains Island, a remote coral atoll in the Tokelau volcanic island group. The total land area is 77 square miles (199 km2), slightly larger than Washington, D.C.; including its territorial waters, the total area is 117,500 square miles (304,000 km2), about the size of New Zealand. American Samoa has a tropical climate, with 90 percent of its land covered by rainforests. As of 2024, the population is approximately 47,400 and concentrated on Tutuila, which hosts the capital and largest settlement, Pago Pago. The vast majority of residents are indigenous ethnic Samoans, most of whom are fluent in the official languages, Samoan and English. Inhabited by Polynesians since prehistory, American Samoa was first contacted by Europeans in the 18th century. The islands attracted missionaries, explorers, and mariners, particularly to the highly protected natural harbor of Pago Pago. The United States took possession of American Samoa in the late 19th century, developing it into a major naval outpost; the territory's strategic value was reinforced by the Second World War and subsequent Cold War. In 1967, American Samoa became self-governing with the adoption of a constitution; its local government is republican in form, with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It remains officially unorganized and is thus directly administered by the federal government. American Samoa is listed among seventeen "non-self-governing territories" but is a member of several intergovernmental organizations, including the Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), and International Olympic Committee (IOC). Due to the territory's strategic location, the U.S. military has a significant presence and plays a major role in its economy and society. The territory is noted for having the highest rate of military enlistment of any U.S. state or territory; as of 2021, the local U.S. Army recruiting station in Pago Pago ranked first in recruitment. Tuna products are the main exports, with the U.S. proper serving as the largest trading partner. Tourism is a nascent but underdeveloped sector, owing in part to the territory's relative geographic isolation, which also accounts for its high rate of poverty and emigration. Since the Deeds of Cession were signed in 1900 and 1904, Samoans have avoided further integration into the U.S. system. In 1949, the Department of Interior moved to incorporate American Samoa through an Organic Act. Afraid that incorporation might undermine the Samoan culture and traditional land ownership, Samoan matai intervened and Congress halted incorporation. Instead, Samoa created its own government, the Samoan Fono, based on indigenous system of governance. Since then, Samoans have declined to establish a federal district court, refused birthright citizenship, and remains the only U.S. territory with its own immigration system.

Many consider residents of American Samoa to be politically disenfranchised, with no voting representation in the U.S. Congress, though American Samoa itself has a democratic system of governance. However, many Samoans have prioritized indigenous culture and government over integration into the United States. American Samoa is the only permanently inhabited territory of the United States in which citizenship is not granted at birth, and people born there are considered "non-citizen nationals" with limited rights. A primary reason that Samoans do not have birthright citizenship is that many Samoans oppose birthright citizenship, as evidenced by the unanimous resolution of the Samoan Fono in 2021 against birthright citizenship, and multiple statements and actions by government officials over the decades. The elected representatives of American Samoan people unanimously fear that birthright citizenship, which may complicate the territory's political structure, would lead to the erosion of indigenous governance, collective ownership of indigenous lands, and the indigenous language of Samoa, gagana Samoa.

Infobox

Sovereign state

United States[a]

Partition of Samoa

December 2, 1899

Ratification Act

February 20, 1929

Current constitution

July 1, 1967

Capital

Pago Pago[b]

Government seat

Fagatogo[b]

Largest village

Tafuna

Official languages

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Ethnic groups

mw- 83.2% Samoan 5.8% Asian 5.5% other Pacific Islander 4.4% mixed 1.1% other

Religion (2020)

mw- li Christianity (99.35%) Protestantism (76.16%) Independent (16.83%) Catholics (6.01%) Unaffiliated (0.35%) Other ( 0.65%) Agnosticism (0.33%) Chinese folk religion (0.42%) Baháʼí Faith (0.16%) Buddhism (0.15%) Atheism (0.01%)

Demonym(s)

American Samoan

Government

Devolved presidential constitutional dependency

• President

Donald Trump (R)

• Governor

Pula Nikolao Pula (R)

• Lieutenant Governor

Pulu Ae Ae (R)

Legislature

Fono

• Upper house

Senate

• Lower house

House of Representatives

• House delegate

Amata Coleman Radewagen (R)

• Total

$709 million

• Water (%)

Highest elevation

966.2 m (3,170 ft)

• 2023 estimate

44,620 (211th)

• 2020 census

49,710

• Density

670.8/sq mi (259.0/km2)

GDP (PPP)

2021 estimate

• Per capita

$15,743

Currency

United States dollar (US$) (USD)

Time zone

UTC−11:00 (SST)

Date format

mm/dd/yyyy

Driving side

Right

Calling code

USPS abbreviation

ISO 3166 code

ASUS-AS

Internet TLD

Website

americansamoa.gov