I.

Introduction

American Samoa, unincorporated territory of the United States, formed by a group of seven islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, comprising Tutuila, on which a US naval station is located; the Manua group, consisting of Tau, Olosega, and Ofu; Aunuu; Rose Island; and Swains Island. Privately owned Swains Island and uninhabited Rose Island are coral atolls; the other islands are mountainous and of volcanic formation. Tutuila is the largest island of the group, covering an area of about 143 sq km (55 sq mi) and with a population of 45,043 (1990). Pago Pago, on Tutuila (2001 estimate population 15,000), is the seat of government of American Samoa and has one of the finest harbours in the South Pacific. Area: 195 sq km (75 sq mi); the population is 57,663 (2007 estimate).

II.

Resources, Products, and Industries

Agriculture is a principal occupation, and tuna fishing and processing, as well as tourism, are major industries. The most important crops include taro, coconuts, bananas, oranges, pineapples, papayas, breadfruit, and yams. Additional food is imported. Canned tuna as well as grass mats and other handicrafts are exported. The economy, however, remains largely dependent upon grants and appropriations by the United States Congress. Foreigners are prohibited by local laws from buying Samoan-owned land.

Pago Pago provides full port facilities in one of the deepest and most easily accessible all-weather harbours in the Pacific. There are four airports, on Tutuila, Ofu, Olosega, and Tau. Shipping and air transportation are important to the territory's economy. Internal transportation is provided by a network of family-owned buses.

III.

Population and Education

Samoans constitute about 89 per cent of the population; the remainder are of Tongan, Caucasian, or other origin. The Samoans are a branch of the Polynesian people. Their language is considered to be one of the oldest forms of Polynesian used today, though most Samoans also speak English. The majority of Samoans are Christians; although some of the practices of their traditional, animistic religions may still be followed, these traditional religions have virtually disappeared. Samoan society is organized around the extended family, or aiga, headed by a chief (matai). Traditional houses (fale) have oval, thatched roofs and are supported on wooden poles.

Since the mid-20th century the birth rate has declined gradually, while the death rate has remained stable. Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 18. The Department of Education operates 54 centres for early education, 23 elementary schools, 5 high schools, and a vocational technical college; there are also several schools managed by the private sector. In the consolidated public elementary schools, television is used for instruction purposes. The literacy rate is 97 per cent.

IV.

Government and Politics

The islands are administered by the US Department of the Interior. Under their constitution of 1967, executive authority lies with the governor, who has been elected by popular vote every four years since 1977. Samoans are US nationals, and their constitution contains most of the guarantees of the US Bill of Rights. Legislative authority is vested in the Samoan legislature, or Fono, which consists of a senate and house of representatives. The senate has 18 members, who are elected, according to Samoan custom, from the local chiefs for four-year terms, and the house has 20 members, elected by popular vote for two-year terms, and one appointed, non-voting delegate from Swains Island. Samoa is represented in the Congress of the United States by a non-voting candidate, appointed for two-year terms. The islands are divided into three districts, each having a Samoan governor, and two second-order island areas. Local administrative matters are conducted by village, county, and district councils composed of hereditary chiefs and their advisers.

V.

History

According to native tradition, the Samoan Islands were the original home of the Polynesian race, from which colonists peopled the other Polynesian islands of the Pacific. Ethnologists, however, now believe that two separate waves of immigrants populated Samoa, the first group probably originating in the Middle East. The later migration displaced the original Samoans, who then began to colonize the more easterly islands of Polynesia.

The first European to visit the islands in 1722 was Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutch navigator. In 1768 Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French explorer, named the group the Navigators Islands. During the 19th century Germany, Great Britain, and the United States established commercial posts on the islands. In 1878 the United States annexed Pago Pago for use as a naval coaling station. In 1888 local disturbances resulting from the selection of a king created a crisis among the three powers. The matter was settled by the Act of Berlin in 1889, which proclaimed the independence and neutrality of the islands and guaranteed the indigenous people full liberty in the election of their king. In 1899, during the course of an internal civil war, the United States and Great Britain formed an alliance against Germany, and Apia, the site of the German station, was shelled by British and US ships. Agreement, however, was reached in the same year. By the treaty then concluded, Germany received the islands west of longitude 171° west, United States sovereignty was recognized over the islands east of the meridian, and Great Britain received the Solomon Islands and Tonga as compensation. The chiefs of Tutuila and Aunuu ceded these islands to the United States in 1900, and the Manua group was ceded in 1904. Swains Island was annexed by the United States in 1925 and added to American Samoa.

The islands were administered by the US Navy until 1951, when they came under the US Department of the Interior. The Samoans approved a territorial constitution in 1960, and adopted a revised constitution in 1967. They have also largely preserved the traditional way of life, the fa’asamoa, which has long been of interest to Western anthropologists and ethnologists, and time-honoured social structures, dominated by the aiga and the matai. Nevertheless, this status-based social system has recently been challenged by modern influences. Situated in the tropical zone, Samoa experiences frequent weather disturbances; in December 1991, Typhoon Val caused damage worth $80 million.

The National Park of American Samoa opened in October 1988. It covers an area of about 4,253 hectares (10,500 acres), which includes about 3,240 hectares (8,000 acres) of tropical rainforest as well as coral reefs and beaches. The Park is located on Tutuila, Tau, and Ofu. Other places of interest include Aunuu with its red quicksands, and the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary.