Fun facts about American Samoa

American Samoa by Rachel Maddow

It took Rachel Maddow a few moments to draw attention to American Samoa last night, one of five areas that, together with the 50 states and the District of Columbia, belong to the United States. The new Congressman Kerry Bentivolio, who acts as Speaker Pro Tem (President of the US House), has been commissioned to introduce Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, the non-voting delegate from American Samoa.

It could not even survive to pronounce "American Samoa", but "American Somalia". As we have completed our American Samoa Pronunciation Guidebook, here are some more fun facts about American Samoa and US territory. Samoa has been part of the United States for more than 110 years.

Samoa has one of the highest ranks of the U.S. Armed Forces. More American Samoans have made the final sacrifices for the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan on a per head base than any other judge. American citizens who live in American Samoa, along with 4 million Americans who live in other U.S. territory, are not able to elect the president and do not have proxies in Congress.

Whereas everyone who has been borne in American Samoa is recognised as an American, they are called "non-citizens" by Swiss law. Consequently, these Americans must be naturalized to be recognised as people! You think it is odd that Americans who have been borne in the United States can be refused nationality just because they were borne in US soil, so do we.

Examine out Tuaua v. United States to find out more about how we are challenging Lene Tuaua and seven other American Samoans the constitutional nature of federal statutes that deny them acknowledgment as full US nationals.

Fifty-nine things you didn't know about America's 59 national parks.

5% of the earth's terrestrial area, it is not surprising that America has its part to play in the creation of spectral scenery - many of which are now classified as such. It is 100 years since the creation of the NPS this year, and there are now 59 areas throughout the United States and its territory under the auspices of the United States government.

Throughout the year, there will be thousands of activities, such as free open house in certain theme playgrounds and the launch of a breathtaking movie by Brand USA and MacGillivray Freeman, who captures the American wilds. When you are considering a visit to a nearby nature reserve this year, here are some fun facts to help you make a decision about what to do.

The Acadia National Parks was first populated by the Wabanaki, who established themselves here 12,000 years ago. The distinctive reddish and gold sandstone that winds its way out of the earth in pillars, arcs, towers and helixes in Årches National Reserve have been the product of the erosive process for several millions of years. However, to count the arcs that gave the name to the garden is not as easy as you might think.

To count as an arc, the opening of the cliff must be at least one meter in each sense, but sometimes old arcs drop, creating new arcs all the while. Though more than 2000 have been logged, it is not possible to keep an overview of the overall number of 76,519 hectares of this area.

Badlands Nationalpark, 244,000 hectares, was once home to rhinos and saber-toothed monkeys that a seven-year-old young woman found in 2010. The Big Bend Nationalpark is not only because of its breathtaking landscape with its deep night sky, the high mountain and the lime stone gorges, which extend over 800.000 hectares, a visitworthy. There are more birds (over 450 in fact) in this Texas country than any other place in the United States.

We have six wrecks in Biscayne NP in Florida, a protected sea area with mangroves and reindeer sanctuaries at the south tip of Florida. Unexpectedly few in the world have even been aware of the Black Canyon of Gunnison in Colorado, one of the country's least frequented of all. However, the steep cliffs of this kilometre-long ravine, which has been cut by the Gunnison River for over two million years, make it one of the most impressive gorges in the world.

Set on an expansive stretch of land, this is home to the world's biggest single site of hooded rocks. The Bryce Canyon is one of the most strange scenery in the USA, and it is called after the Mormon settlers Ebenezer Bryce, who made a famous statement that "it would be a hellish place to loose a cow".

The Utah River defines Utah's biggest natural reserve and divides it into three major sections: the Island in the Sky, the Needles and the Labyrinth. Walkers will enjoy the area of the needles on the other side, while the riders should go to the island in the sky, a mesh with an unbelievable view of the parks. The area has been a protected area since 1971 and includes colorful rocks, gorges and cupolas for almost 100 miles.

The Carlsbad Caverns National Parks in the Chihuahuan Desert is nice on the top, but even more fascinating. It has a net of 119 underground caverns, all of which were created when sulphuric acids broke up the sediment. Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara form the Channel Islands New Zealand National Parks, located just off the California water.

It is thriving with interesting animal varieties, among them the only nesting habitat of northerly plum seal north of Alaska. Here, too, the oldest traces of North America were found - the 10,000-year-old bone was dug up in 1960 and referred to as "Arlington Springs Man". The gnarled knee (small bushes that grow from the base) of the cypresses in the Congaree National Reserve are indeed fairies that come to live at nights and walk through the marshy wood.

Congaree, called after its natives, who were exterminated centuries ago by a pox pandemic, also has an amazingly well-preserved and ecologically varied wetland eco-system that makes it a captivating place for kids and grown-ups. In 1943, the 1943ft depth craters in the Krater Lake National Park are the lowest in America and one of the ten lowest in the underworld.

Built after a volcano erupted 7,700 years ago, the site is now the heart of a 740 sq. km. large nature reserve that looks like a landscape in a snowy landscape almost all year round from October to June. Cuyahoga means'crooked river' in the Mohawk tongue - a suitable name for the winding water ways in this nature reserve.

The Cuyahoga Valley National Parks is the only one in Ohio and is particularly beautiful in autumn when the trees foliage takes on all hues of oranges, browns and reds. Suitably designated Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley National Parks was registered as the world' s most hot spot in July 1913 at 134°F (57°C).

North America's highest peak towers above this breathtaking natural wonder. Nearly all of which are in the Florida Keys, 70 leagues east of Key World. Seven small islets live in the reserve, and from March to September around 100,000 Russian tern are nesting on their banks.

Surprisingly, Mount Everglades is essential to much of Florida's public and infrastructure: one in three people in the state depend on the Mount everglades for their drinking needs. America's second biggest Nationalpark is also one of the least frequented. Part of a 25 million hectare heritage site on the south shore of Alaska - one of the biggest in the entire planet - Glacier Bay has great game.

In Montana, known to the Indians as the "Shining Mountains" and "Backbone of the World", this reserve is home to around 25 movable igloci. Obviously the Grand Canyon - one of the most frequented places in America, known worldwide for its greatness - is getting larger and larger. The Grand Teton National Parks is probably one of the most spectacular in the land, with huge peaks rising almost 7000 feet above the hills.

The biggest of North America's birds is living in this lovely environment: the trumpeters' tup, which can weight up to 13kg. Nevada's name Great Bassin, which covers an area of over 200,000 sq. m., is somewhat misleading: instead of a huge pool, there are actually 200 smaller pools in this area.

There are relatively few people visiting this reserve, so if you are looking for a peaceful getaway into the countryside, Great Basin is the place to be. Like the name says, the Great Sand Dues Nationwide Reserve has the highest sand dune in America, some of which rise from the earth. The Great Smoky Mountains is the most popular in both North Carolina and Tennessee.

There are around 17,000 flora and fauna and the 95 per cent of the wooded reserve contains 100 indigenous tree varieties in their pristine environment. Today, the reserve you can discover is the remains of an old sea-ripen. Haleakala Essential National Parks has more threatened wildlife than any other place in the National Parks service, which includes the lovely Haleakala Shelduck.

Haleakala also has the biggest populations of the Hawaii Tower. The Hawaii centenary festivities in Hawaii Vincanoes National Parks promises to be particularly dramatic this year, as the gardens themselves will also be 100 years old. Founded in 1916, the reserve is home to Kilauea Vulcano, one of the most activity volcanos in the whole wide globe, from which continuous flow of volcanic water occurred between 1983 and March 2015.

Whilst most are extensive areas, far away from the roads and housing areas, Hot Springs Nationalpark is the opposite. It is the smallest US governmental sanctuary and adjoins a town of the same name. Situated on the Siskiwit Sea of Isle Royale, Ryan Iceland is the tallest of the tallest lakes on the tallest islands within the world's tallest inland water.

Michigan's Isle Royale New Zealand is a 570,000 hectare large animal kingdom full of luxuriant forests and bush. There' s more to the Joshua River than twisting, prickly twigs on the Joshua Riverwood. Come to this beautiful sanctuary at sundown to take a look into the other world: the twisting Joshua bushes are most conspicuous when they stand out against the dusk sundown.

There are many water ways and streams in this huge, rugged Nationalpark, which is home to over 2000 browbears, but only one riverbed. Walking through this luxuriant vastness you must get wet: all other streams in Katmai-Nationalpark have to be traversed on feet (or by boat).

The Kenai Fjords Nationalpark is home to Harding Icefield, where up to 100 feet of powder can drop every year. Four to ten years after being compressed, the snows can turn into glacier ices and join one of the forty icebergs in this Alaska-Nationalpark. Kings Canyon in California is one of the largest caves in America and much lower (about 2000 feet) than the more renowned Grand Canyon.

It is a paradise of diverse landscapes, from the tops of hills and ponds to some of the highest tree species in the underworld. Wetland, streams, sand dune and high hills form the extraordinary countryside of this area. Dena'ina are still dependent on the country, which includes the eight different berries that can be found throughout the area.

In June 1914, three men ascended Mount Lassen to find out why the summit had started to rumble two days earlier. In 1916 it was declared a US-Nationalpark and the summit, although still operating today, has stayed calm since 1921.

The longest caves in the whole Kentucky Nationalpark is Mammothave. Between 600 and 1300 AD for 700 years, the old dolls used to live between the cliffs of Mesa Verde NP. In Mount Rainier NP, Kenneth Arnold, the driver, told us what is today regarded as the first UFO sifting in the run.

Since then there have been some spotting in the garden, but the only things you can see on Mount Rainier are the breathtaking outlooks. Samoa, an American Samoa island group of seven in the South Pacific, is an area of the United States oversee. There are three of them in the National Park:

It is the only US Nationalpark in the southern hemisphere and connects a sanctuary with some of the best reefs in the United States. The North Cascades is known for its world-class mountain climbs with the name of Mount Terror and Desolation Peak. It'?s not just about the stones: The North Cascades has set a historic high for the number of plants ever registered in a USNP.

In the whole area of the reserve there are eight different "life zones" that help the thousand of container and non-vascular herbs. Under the 10ft of snows that normally cover the Hurricane Ridge of Olympic National Reserve in cold weather, we find windmills of endemics, sheltered by the blankie dust. But these are not the only endemics in the park: among the numerous fauna there are 16 endemics and 8 endemics.

Visiting the Petrified Forest in Arizona will take you back in history. Pinnacles Nationalpark' odd scenery was shaped by volcanoes 23 million years ago, but has only recently become a Nationalpark. America's first new parks in eight years, formally appointed by President Barack Obama in January 2013.

But it' s not just about the forest: prairie, streams and a forty miles long coast are also sheltered in this area. Saguaro National Parks in Arizona is home to America's biggest cactuses. Not only the famous huge sequoias but also over 275 cave discoveries can be found in this area.

The Shenandoah National Reserve was once a compilation of privately owned farms and woods that were finally purchased by Virginia civil servants to create the sheltered areas that you can see today. There are unmistakable seasonal patterns in the park: vernal time introduces new leafs and wild flowers to the garden, although it is perhaps best known for its vivid autumn green.

America's twenty-sixth chairman, Theodore Roosevelt, said it was his experience in the reserve that made him a guide who strengthened him in both mental and physical terms and earned him a love of the world. Located in the Carribean Sea just south of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands are home to a small but fine coastal area.

More than a third of the Voyageurs National Park consists of water: there are over 30 ponds linked by small channels that divide several hundred small islets. Underneath the prairies of Wind Cave National Park, where bisons and moose are grazing, is one of the most dense "labyrinth caves" in the whole wide oceans.

America' biggest natural reserve in the world, covering a breathtaking 13 hectares, it is easily eclipsed by Mother Earth. America’ oldest and most popular Nationalpark is also one of its most varied. The Yellowstone Nationalpark is home to living volcanos, extensive woods, over 300 geysirs, grasslands and about 67 mammalians.

Every year the reserve also undergoes between 1000 and 3000 quakes. His work has helped the state recognize the need to conserve the Yosemite Nature Park's pristine beauties. "One place of rest and relaxation" is the significance of the Hebraic name given to this protected area by the Mormon engineer Isaac Behunin in 1863.

Zion Utah NP offers not only relaxation, but also a variety of hikes and climbs, canyoning and excursions on the Virgin River. Discover more of America's natural reserves with the Rough Guide to the USA.