American Samoa
A newer version of this article is available: see American Samoa at Schools Wikipedia
American Samoa is a unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the South Pacific Ocean. Originally inhabited as early as 1000 BC, 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 and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the noted harbor of Pago Pago - the following year. (see History of Samoa for more.) The western islands are now the independent state of Samoa. Although technically considered "unorganized" in that the U.S. Congress has not passed an Organic Act for the territory, American Samoa is self-governing under a constitution that became effective on July 1, 1967.
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| National motto: Samoa, Muamua Le Atua (Samoa, Let God Be First) | |||
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| Official languages | Samoan, English | ||
| Capital | Pago Pago | ||
| Governor | Togiola Tulafono | ||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 226th 199 kmò 0% | ||
| Population
- Total (2003) - Density | Ranked 203rd
70,260 353/km2 | ||
| Currency | USD | ||
| Time zone | UTC -11 (no DST) | ||
| National anthem | |||
| Internet TLD | .AS | ||
| Calling Code | Through October 1, 2004 684 As of October 2, 2004 1 (684) | ||
See: List of American Samoa Governors
- Geography of American Samoa
- Demographics of American Samoa
- Politics of American Samoa
- Economy of American Samoa
- Communications in American Samoa
- Transportation in American Samoa
- Military: defense is the responsibility of the US
Facts:
- The American Samoa has Steps Point, the southernmost point in the United States (if you include Insular areas. See Extreme Points for more information.)
- Goods manufactured in territories or protectorates of the United States can be labeled "Made in the USA."
- About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa, currently play in the NFL. It has been estimated that a Samoan male (either an American Samoan, or a Samoan living in the 50 United States) is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan American.
- Persons born in American Samoa are United States nationals, but not United States citizens. This is virtually the only circumstance under which an individual would be one and not the other.
External links
- CIA - The World Factbook -- American Samoa - CIA's Factbook on American Samoa
- Library of Congress Portals of the World - American Samoa
- Map of American Samoa
- Revised Constitution of American Samoa
- The Official Webpage of the American Samoa Government
- Travel guide to American Samoa
| Countries in Oceania | ||
| Australia | Fiji | Kiribati | Marshall Islands | Federated States of Micronesia | Nauru | New Zealand | Palau | Papua New Guinea | Samoa | Solomon Islands | Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu | ||
| Other political units: American Samoa | Cook Islands | Easter Island | French Polynesia | Guam | Hawaii | Papua (Indonesia) | Midway Atoll | New Caledonia | Niue | Norfolk Island | Northern Mariana Islands | Pitcairn Islands | Tokelau | Wake Island | Wallis and Futuna | ||
| Political divisions of the United States |  | |||||||
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