About American Samoa

American-Samoa | Culture, Histories & Humans

Americas Samoa, official American Samoa area, non-incorporated US area, comprising the east part of the Samoan Islands, in the southern/centre Pacific Ocean. It' about 1,600 northeastern New Zealand (2,600 km) and 2,200 southwestern Hawaii (3,500 km).

Polynesia covers the six Samoan isles to the south of the 171 W meric. The Samoa (formerly Western Samoa), its nearest neighbor and a self-governing land, is made up of the nine Samoan Isles just south of the city. The American Samoa comprises the populated isles Tutuila, Tau, Olosega, Ofu and Aunuu as well as an unusual reef-toll called Rose tolls.

Swain' s Island, an inhabitated altoll of corals about 280 northeast of Tutuila (450 km) and physiologically separated from the island of Tutuila, was made part of American Samoa in 1925. Pago Pago is the American Samoa city. With the exception of the American Samoa island in the last seven million years, the island of Samoa has been created by igneous activities; its interior is high and craggy.

Tutuila, the principal isle, with an area of 135 sq. km, towers sharply over coves. Of these bays, the most remarkable is the port of Pago Pago, which almost splits the whole in two. Manua (Tau, Olosega and Ofu), about 100 km eastwards of Tutuila, is the second biggest area.

The corals are widespread at the ends of the island, especially tutuila; some of the corals create lagoon enclosing walls. The American Samoa weather is tropic and the rainfall is abundant. Each year Pago Pago is supplied with around 200 inch (5,000 mm). The temperature is exceptionally stable; the mean temperature ranges from the high 60' to the low 90' F (approx. 21 to 32 °C).

Rain forests with high fern and tree covers the hilly interior of the island. Though they are not endemic to animals, some of their birds - such as the uncommon Tooth-billed Dove - are inimitable. The fauna comprises fruit bats (a kind of bat), iguanas, mammals, rivets, serpents and swine. There are also countless and omnipresent flies and creeping bugs.

A large part of the populace (almost nine tenths) is ethnic Samoan; there are minute ethnic minority groups of Tongan and Filipino descent and those of diverse ethnicities. Samoans are a Polynese race with close relations to the natives of New Zealand, French Polynesia, Hawaii and Tonga. Samoan living, or fa'a Samoa, is community.

Approximately one in seven of the inhabitants is Roman Catholic. The only true city area, Pago Pago is the major harbour and the administration and trading city. A large part of the foreign-born inhabitants live in American Samoa; more than two-fifths of the inhabitants were natives outside the country, mainly in Samoa, with smaller shares from the United States, Tonga, various Asia and other Pacific isles.

In addition, since the middle of the 20th centruy many American Samoans have emigrated to the USA, so that there are more American Samoans abroad than on the isles. Tinned tunas (from American canneries) and tourist industry are important branches of industry. While Fiji and New Zealand are also remarkable commodity importers to American Samoa, the United States and Singapore are the most important importers (including canned seafood, canned goods, foods and minerals).

United States is the main target for imports consisting mainly of tinned albacore and a small amount of animal feed. An extensive American Samoa construction programme from the 1970' to the 1990' raised the number of kilometres of cobbled streets, especially on the Isle of Tutuila.

The only big harbour is Pago Pago. There is an internatonal airfield on Tutuila, smaller airports on other isles. Since American Samoa is an unregistered, non-organized area of the United States, not all regulations of the U.S. Constitution are applicable. In addition, the United States has not presented an organically -based law (Charter) that establishes a system of governance.

Instead, the US Home Office, which has been in charge of the area since 1951, gave American Samoa the power to draw up its own Constitution (1967). They are US residents (with the right to entry and residence in the United States), but not residents. The Americans in 1976 passed a plebiscite that provided for the four-year general elections of the gubernatorial and lieutorial governors; the previous appointment was made by the US-administration.

The American Samoa has a two-chamber legislation known as Fono, which convenes for two meetings each year. Members of the American Samoa Chamber of Representatives are generally suffrageously reelected for two years; one member is a non-voting representative selected by Swains Island. The members of the Senate (House of Lords) are appointed by the chieftain councillors according to Samoan tradition for a term of office of four years.

The first non-voting American Samoa representative to the US House of Representatives was selected in 1981. It is the United States that is in charge of defence. Aside from Swains Island, the island is split into several prefectures (each with an assigned county governor). The self-governing authority is connected to the federal administration through the governor-nominated by the governing mayor.

High Court is the highest judicial body, chaired by a high court and associated judges, all of whom are nominated by the US Interrogators. The American Samoa Community College, located in Tutuila, provides programmes in the fine art and science, professional and technological education and health care schools. American Samoa is strongly affected by US cultures - TV, food and entertainment - although the country's tradition of Fa'a Samoa is still alive and well.

American Samoa National Park, which covers parts of the Tutuila, Tau and Ofu Isles, comprises jagged coastlines, cliffs and rain forests. For more information on the Samoan people's civilization, see the Mongolian civilization section. Polynesians (probably from Tonga) populated the Samoan Isles around 1000 BC.

Up to 500 years later, many scientists believe that Samoa has become the starting point for travellers who have populated much of East Polynesia. In 1722 the Flemish sailor Jacob Roggeveen saw Samoa, followed by other Europeans exploring, robbing and selling beaches. In the 1830s, the London Mission sent its first agents to the United States.

Further missionsaries travelled to the Isles as the impact of the missions extended to Tutuila and later to the Manua isles. The United States of America concluded an 1878 contract for the construction of a marine base in the port of Pago Pago. In 1899, an accord between the Colonies split Samoa into areas of influence: The United States took possession of the east and Germany won over the west isles.

Until 1904 the east isles had all been assigned to the United States, although the US Congress only officially accepted the assignments on February 20, 1929. American Samoa became a strategically important navy basis under the U.S. Navy leadership (1900-51), but the Samoan leadership had little admin. c).

The area was handed over to the US Department of the Interior in 1951. A US administration nominated a full power sovereign to manage the area. To help him, the Gubernatori nominated policy advisors and high officials from the United States. Samoans were agitating for power over their country's business, and in 1977 Peter Coleman, a Samoan, became the country's first newly-elected Governor.

The Americans first voted in a non-voting representative for a two-year mandate in the US House of Representatives in 1981. The Samoan island was hit by an 8 gauge seismic event on 29 September 2009. As a result of the tremor, a tidal wave struck the American Samoa Isles, causing considerable harm to Tutuila; Pago Pago was submerged and the island communities were destroyed, resulting in the death of many more.