The Territory of American Samoa

An Overview

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American Samoa is made up of seven islands, with a total land area of 76 square miles, stretched over a distance of about 150 miles. The island chain is 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii and over 4,100 miles southwest of San Francisco. It is the only American territory south of the equator.

Tutuila, the main island, is the center of American Samoa's government and business. The harbor of Pago Pago (pronounced Pango Pango) is one of the Pacific's deepest and most sheltered. Tutuila has a land area of about 56 square miles and is home to 95 percent of American Samoa's total population of 56,000. The other islands of American Samoa are: Aunu'u, a small island 1/4 mile from Tutuila's eastern shore; Ofu, Olosega, and Ta'u of the Manu'a group, which is 60 miles east of Tutuila; Rose Atoll, a wildlife refuge 60 miles east of the Manu'a group; and Swain's Island, 200 miles north of Tutuila.

American Samoans are descendants of proto-polynesians who came to that region of the Pacific around 1,000 B.C. and are today among the last remaining true Polynesians, along with the Hawaiians, Maori, Tongans, and Tahitians. Although there has been significant Western influence on the territory's population, American Samoans still hold firmly to their ancient traditions. The traditional social structure is based on the aiga or extended family system, under which the matai or chiefs are responsible for each village's lands and property and for its general well-being.

In April 1900, deeds of cession were signed by the United States and the leading chiefs of Tutuila and Aunu'u. On June 1904, similar deeds of cession were agreed to by the chiefs of the Manu'a islands. Under the terms of the deeds of cession, the United States agreed that the chiefs would be permitted to retain their individual control over their separate villages, provided that such control was in accordance with the laws of the United States that apply to American Samoa and did not obstruct the peaceful existence of the people and the advancement of civilization. The United States also agreed to regard and protect the individual rights of the people, especially with respect to their lands and property. The islands of American Samoa remained under the administration of the U.S. Navy from 1900 to 1951, when the President of the United States transferred administrative authority to the Secretary of the Interior.

Today, American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States. The term "unincorporated" means that some sections of the United States Constitution do not apply to American Samoa, and the term "unorganized" means that the organization of its internal government and its relationship with the United States are not governed by an "organic act" or constitution ratified by Congress. Instead, Congress has delegated authority over American Samoa to the Secretary of the Interior, who in turn has authorized the territory to draft a constitution. American Samoans are United States nationals and have the option of becoming naturalized citizens.

In 1977, the American Samoa people for the first time elected their own Governor and Lt. Governor, and in 1981, they sent their first non-voting delegate to the United States Congress. The local legislature is called the Fono and is composed of an upper house comprised of 18 senators elected by county councils in accordance with Samoan customs and a lower house comprised of 20 representatives elected by the populace. The Chief Justice and Associate Justice of the Samoan High Court are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior.

American Samoa's economy is heavily dependent on Federal financial assistance and two tuna canneries. In fact, 93 percent of the American Samoa's economy is based directly or indirectly on these two sources of income. The remaining 7 percent stems from a small tourism industry and a few small businesses.

Although tourism is not currently a major factor in American Samoa's economy, the development of this sector is a priority. The islands have not shared the tourist boom experienced in Western Samoa (a nearby independent island nation) in the 1980s and have seen a significant drop in tourist arrivals during the 1990s. This drop is due to several factors, including the loss of international airline service and several recent typhoons. Tourist arrivals declined from more than 10,000 in 1991 to 5,800 in 1995. American Samoa's only large hotel is the Rainmaker Hotel on Tutuila.

A recent development that may help the tourist sector is the establishment, in 1993, of the National Park of American Samoa. This is the only national park in which the Federal Government does not own the land, instead leasing it for 50 years from the eight villages in the park. The park protects the only mixed-species paleotropical rainforest and the only Indo-Pacific coral reef in the national park system.

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Last Updated: January 22, 2006