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An unincorporated territory of the United States in the southern Pacific Ocean northeast of Fiji comprising the eastern islands of the Samoan archipelago. American Samoa has been administered by the United States since 1899. Pago Pago, on Tutuila, the largest island of the group, is the capital. Population: 57,700.
For more information on American Samoa, visit Britannica.com.
An unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the South Pacific and consisting of seven islands, American Samoa makes up the eastern portion of the Samoan archipelago; the western portion, known as Western Samoa or the Republic of Samoa, is an independent nation.
The first Polynesian colonists seem to have reached Samoa from Fiji around 1000 B.C. By the eighteenth century, Samoa supported a complex society with fortified villages, intensively cultivated fields, and extensive trade among the islands. In 1722, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to visit the islands. Several other expeditions visited over the next century; European influence was minimal, however, until the 1830s, when the first English missionaries arrived. Thereafter, whalers, traders, and missionaries came in steadily increasing numbers.
By the 1870s, Great Britain and Germany were competing with the United States for commercial and diplomatic advantage in Samoa. In 1872 the Grant administration sent Col. Albert Steinberger as a "special commissioner" to "assist" the islanders and generally further American interests. Steinberger helped the Samoans draft a constitution but then installed himself as premier with near-dictatorial powers; he was deposed and deported by the British in 1876.
Samoa continued to be unstable, with various local factions bidding for support from the colonial powers. In 1889, Britain, Germany, and the United States attempted to settle their differences in the islands with the Berlin Treaty, which created a neutral and independent Samoa subject to the "advice" of the powers. This arrangement failed, and Samoa went through two rounds of civil war in the 1890s. In 1899 the three powers replaced the Berlin Treaty with the Tripartite Pact, which divided Samoa between Germany and the United States, with Britain withdrawing all claims in return for acknowledgement of its rights in other Pacific territories. The 1899 line of division, running along the 171st degree of longitude, remains the international boundary today between American Samoa and the independent Republic of Samoa.
The new colony was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy, and executive authority was vested in a series of naval governors. American claims to the islands were strengthened by various Articles of Cession obtained from Samoan chiefs between 1900 and 1904, although Congress did not ratify these until 1929.
With the growth of Japanese militarism in the mid-1930s, Samoa began to acquire new strategic importance. By 1940 the Samoan islands had become a training area for the U.S. Marine Corps. After Pearl Harbor, the military facilities were rapidly and massively expanded, and Samoa became a rear staging area for U.S. offensives in the South Pacific. The military withdrew after the war's end, but this massive influx of American servicemen and goods had a lasting impact on Samoan society.
In 1951 control of the islands was shifted from the Navy to the Department of the Interior. The Samoans gained a measure of self-government when American Samoa approved its first constitution in 1966. This constitution is still in effect; it provides a tripartite system of government similar to the standard American model, albeit with some unique concessions to local custom. The islands' chief executive continued to be a governor appointed by Washington until 1977, when the position was made elective. Since then, the islands have had considerable autonomy, particularly in local affairs, although certain powers remain reserved to the Secretary of the Interior.
Samoans are American nationals, although not American citizens. They owe allegiance to the United States, and have American diplomatic and military protection, but are not entitled to a representative in Congress. Samoa is an "unincorporated" territory, meaning that not all provisions and protections of the United States Constitution apply there.
Samoans can travel freely to, and reside in, the United States. The 2000 Census gave the population of American Samoa as 57,291, of which 88.2 percent were ethnic Samoans. Ninety-six thousand Samoans were listed as living in the United States, with the largest groups in California and Hawaii. Samoa's economy has remained partly dependent upon American aid and is underdeveloped compared to the U.S. mainland or Hawaii.
Bibliography
Gray, J. A. C. Amerika Samoa: A History of American Samoa and Its United States Naval Administration. Annapolis, Md.: United States Naval Institute, 1960.
Polynesians account for a large majority of the population. Christian Congregationalism and other Protestant denominations are practiced by 80% of the people; some 20% are Roman Catholic. Most Samoans are bilingual, speaking the native Polynesian tongue and English.
Subsistence agriculture and the export of canned tuna and handicrafts became the mainstays of the economy after the U.S. naval base at Pago Pago closed in 1951. There is also some light industry. Economic activity is strongly linked to the United States; Australia, Indonesia, and India are also important trading partners. Nearly all the land is communally owned by the Polynesian natives, who are considered American nationals, not citizens, and do not vote in U.S. elections. They do, however, send one nonvoting delegate to the U.S. Congress.
American Samoa was defined by a treaty in 1899 between the United States, Great Britain, and Germany, which gave the United States control of all Samoan islands east of 171°W. American Samoa was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Dept. of the Navy until 1951, at which time administration was transferred to the Dept. of the Interior, which appointed the governor. In 1978 the first popularly elected Samoan governor was inaugurated. Tauese P. F. Sunia, first elected in 1996, died in 2003; Lieutenant Governor Togiola Tulafona succeeded him as acting governor, and was himself elected governor in 2004 for a four-year term. There is a bicameral legislature (Fono), consisting of a senate (18 members chosen by local chiefs) and a house of representatives (20 members elected by popular vote, plus one nonvoting member from Swains Island, which is privately owned). There is also an independent judiciary.
The international dialing code for American Samoa is: 684
Local Time: Jul 19, 8:38 AM
Introduction
| Background: | Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" 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 excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year. |
Geography
| Location: | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand |
| Geographic coordinates: | 14 20 S, 170 00 W |
| Map references: | Oceania |
| Area: | total: 199 sq km land: 199 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island |
| Area - comparative: | slightly larger than Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 116 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: | tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain: | five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island) |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Lata Mountain 964 m |
| Natural resources: | pumice, pumicite |
| Land use: | arable land: 10% permanent crops: 15% other: 75% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | NA |
| Natural hazards: | typhoons common from December to March |
| Environment - current issues: | limited natural fresh water resources; the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines |
| Geography - note: | Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean |
People
| Population: | 57,663 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 33.6% (male 10,049/female 9,345) 15-64 years: 63.5% (male 19,041/female 17,556) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 606/female 1,066) (2007 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 23.6 years male: 23.4 years female: 23.8 years (2007 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.262% (2007 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 21.83 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death rate: | 3.24 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -21.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.075 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.085 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.568 male(s)/female total population: 1.062 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 8.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 76.25 years male: 72.69 years female: 80.02 years (2007 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.07 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: American Samoan(s) (US nationals) adjective: American Samoan |
| Ethnic groups: | native Pacific islander 92.9%, Asian 2.9%, white 1.2%, mixed 2.8%, other 0.2% (2000 census) |
| Religions: | Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30% |
| Languages: | Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2% note: most people are bilingual (2000 census) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 97% (1980 est.) |
Government
| Country name: | conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa conventional short form: American Samoa abbreviation: AS |
| Dependency status: | unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior |
| Government type: | NA |
| Capital: | name: Pago Pago geographic coordinates: 14 16 S, 170 42 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western |
| Independence: | none (territory of the US) |
| National holiday: | Flag Day, 17 April (1900) |
| Constitution: | ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967 |
| Legal system: | NA |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003) cabinet: Cabinet made up of 12 department directors elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as American Samoa, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 and 16 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008) election results: Togiola TULAFONO elected governor; percent of vote - Togiola TULAFONO 55.7%, Afoa Moega LUTU 44.3% |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of the House of Representatives (21 seats; 20 members are elected by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains Island; to serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats; members are elected from local chiefs to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2008); Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 18 note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held on 7 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2008); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA reelected as delegate |
| Judicial branch: | High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Party [Oreta M. TOGAFAU]; Republican Party [Tautai A. F. FAALEVAO] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC, UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (territory of the US) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (territory of the US) |
| Flag description: | blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club |
Economy
| Economy - overview: | American Samoa has a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa conducts most of its commerce. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $510.1 million (2003 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $333.8 million (2005) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3% (2003) |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
| Labor force: | 17,630 (2005) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 34% industry: 33% services: 33% (1990) |
| Unemployment rate: | 29.8% (2005) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | NA% |
| Budget: | revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants) expenditures: $127 million (FY96/97) |
| Agriculture - products: | bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock |
| Industries: | tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 180 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 167.4 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
| Oil - consumption: | 3,900 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006) |
| Exports: | $445.6 million (FY04 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | canned tuna 93% (2004 est.) |
| Exports - partners: | Indonesia 28.2%, India 22.3%, Australia 15.3%, Japan 11.2%, NZ 7.1% (2006) |
| Imports: | $308.8 million (FY04 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6% (2004 est.) |
| Imports - partners: | Australia 66%, Samoa 13.8%, NZ 10.8% (2006) |
| Debt - external: | $NA |
| Economic aid - recipient: | important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994 |
| Currency (code): | US dollar (USD) |
| Exchange rates: | the US dollar is used |
| Fiscal year: | 1 October - 30 September |
Transportation
| Airports: | 3 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
| Roadways: | total: 185 km (2004) |
| Ports and terminals: | Pago Pago |
Military
| Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of the US |
Transnational Issues
| Disputes - international: | Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island (Olohega) in its 2006 draft constitution |
| Amerika Sāmoa/Sāmoa Amelika
American Samoa
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"Samoa, Muamua Le Atua" (Samoan) "Samoa, Let God Be First" |
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| Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner, Amerika Samoa |
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| Capital | Pago Pago; Fagatogo (seat of government) | |||||
| Official languages | English, Samoan | |||||
| Government | ||||||
| - | Governor | Togiola Tulafono | ||||
| United States unincorporated territory | ||||||
| - | Treaty of Berlin | 1899 | ||||
| - | Deed of Cession of Tutuila | 1900 |
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| - | Deed of Cession of Manuʻa | 1904 |
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| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 0 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2007 estimate | 57,663 (204th) | ||||
| - | 2000 census | 57,291 | ||||
| - | Density | 353/km² (33rd) /sq mi |
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| Currency | United States dollar (USD) |
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| Time zone | (UTC-11) | |||||
| Internet TLD | .as | |||||
| Calling code | [[+1 684]] | |||||
| 1 | Spanish also spoken. | |||||
American Samoa (Samoan: Amerika Sāmoa or Sāmoa Amelika) is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa. The main (largest and most populous) island is Tutuila, with the Manu'a Islands, Rose Atoll, and Swains Island also included in the territory. American Samoa is part of the Samoan Islands chain, located west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and some 300 miles (500 km) south of Tokelau. To the west are the islands of the Wallis and Futuna group. The 2000 census showed a total population of 57,291.[1] The total land area is 200.22 km² (77.305 sq mi).
Although many historians debate it, many believed that the Samoan Islands were originally inhabited as early as 1000 BC.[citation needed] Samoa was not reached by European explorers until the eighteenth century.
The pre-Western history of Eastern Samoa (now American Samoa) is inextricably bound with the history of Western Samoa (now independent Samoa). The Manu'a Islands of American Samoa has one of the oldest histories of Polynesia, in connection with the Tui Manua title, connected with the histories of the archipelagos of Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tokelau and elsewhere in the Pacific, where Manu'a once had influence. During the Tongan occupation of Samoa, Manu'a was the only island group that remained independent. The islands of Tutuila and Aunu'u were politically connected to 'Upolu island in what is now independent Samoa. It can be said that all the Samoa islands are politically connected today through the faamatai chiefly system and through family connections that are as strong as ever. This system of the faamatai and the customs of faasamoa originated with two of the most famous early chiefs of Samoa, who were both women and related, Nafanua and Salamasina.
Early Western contact included a battle in the eighteenth century between French explorers and islanders in Tutuila, for which the Samoans were blamed in the West, giving them a reputation for ferocity. Early nineteenth century Rarotongan missionaries to the Samoa islands were followed by a group of Western missionaries led by John Williams of the Congregationalist London Missionary Society in the 1830s, officially bringing Christianity to Samoa. Less than a hundred years later, the Samoan Congregationalist Church became the first independent indigenous church of the South Pacific.
In March of 1889, a German naval force invaded a village in Samoa, and by doing so destroyed some American property. Three American warships then entered the Samoan harbor and were prepared to fire on the three German warships found there. Before guns were fired, a typhoon sank both the American and German ships. A compulsory armistice was called because of the lack of warships.
International rivalries in the latter half of the nineteenth century were settled by the 1899 Treaty of Berlin in which Germany and the U.S. divided the Samoan archipelago. The U.S. formally occupied its portion—a smaller group of eastern islands with the noted harbor of Pago Pago—the following year. The western islands are now the independent state of Samoa.
After the U.S. took possession of Samoa, the U.S. Navy built a coaling station on Pago Pago Bay for its Pacific Squadron and appointed a local Secretary. The navy secured a Deed of Cession of Tutuila in 1900 and a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa in 1904. The last sovereign of Manuʻa, the Tui Manuʻa Elisala, was forced to sign a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa following a series of US Naval trials, known as the "Trial of the Ipu", in Pago Pago, Taʻu, and aboard a Pacific Squadron gunboat.
After World War I, during the time of the Mau movement in Western Samoa (then a New Zealand protectorate), there was a corresponding American Samoa Mau movement, led by Samuel Sailele Ripley, who was from Leone village and was a WWI war veteran. After meetings in America, he was prevented from disembarking from the ship that brought him home to American Samoa and was not allowed to return. The American Samoa Mau movement having been suppressed by the US Navy, in 1930 the US Congress sent a committee to investigate the status of American Samoa, led by Americans who had had a part in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
In 1938, famous aviator Ed Musick and his crew died on the Pan American World Airways S-42 Samoan Clipper over Pago Pago, on a survey flight to Auckland, New Zealand. Sometime after take-off the aircraft experienced trouble and Musick turned it back toward Pago Pago. As the crew began dumping fuel in preparation for an emergency landing a spark in the fuel pump caused an explosion that tore the aircraft apart in mid-air.
During World War II, U.S. Marines in Samoa outnumbered the local population, having a huge cultural influence. Young Samoan men from the age of 14 and above were combat trained by US military personnel. As in WWI, Samoans served in WWII as combatants, medical personnel, code personnel, ship repairs, etc.
After the war, Organic Act 4500, a U.S. Department of Interior-sponsored attempt to incorporate Samoa, was defeated in Congress, primarily through the efforts of Samoan chiefs, led by Tuiasosopo Mariota. These chiefs' efforts led to the creation of a local legislature, the American Samoa Fono which meets in the village of Fagatogo, the territory's de facto and de jure capital. (See the Capital City section below for more information on Fagatogo.)
In time, the Navy-appointed governor was replaced by a locally elected one. 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. The U.S. Territory of American Samoa is on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, a listing which is disputed by territorial government officials.
Politics of American Samoa takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic dependency, whereby the
There is also the traditional village politics of the Samoa Islands, the "fa'amatai" and the "fa'asamoa", which continues in American Samoa and in independent Samoa, and which interacts across these current boundaries. The Fa'asamoa is the language and customs, and the Fa'amatai the protocols of the "fono" (council) and the chiefly system. The Fa'amatai and the Fono take place at all levels of the Samoan body politic, from the family, to the village, to the region, to national matters. The "matai" (chiefs) are elected by consensus within the fono of the extended family and village(s) concerned. The matai and the fono (which is itself made of matai) decide on distribution of family exchanges and tenancy of communal lands. The majority of lands in American Samoa and independent Samoa are communal. A matai can represent a small family group or a great extended family that reaches across islands, and to both American Samoa and independent Samoa.
Persons born in American Samoa are American nationals, but not United States citizens. Such status is only conferred on people born in the districts of American Samoa and Swains Island, but not to people born in unorganized atolls.
Samoans are entitled to elect one non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives. Their delegate since 1989 has been Democrat Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega, Jr. They also receive delegates to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
American Samoa is located within the geographical region of Oceania. With a total land area of 199 km² (123.7 sq miles), it is slightly larger than the District of Columbia. Consisting of five, rugged volcanic islands and two coral atolls, it is frequently hit by typhoons between December and March, due to its positioning in the South Pacific Ocean. In addition, Rose Atoll, located in American Samoa, is the southernmost point in the territory of the United States
American Samoa is administratively divided into three districts and two "unorganized" atolls. The districts and unorganized atolls are subdivided into 74 villages. Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa.[2] It is one of the largest villages and is located on the eastern side of Tutuila island in Ma'oputasi County district #9. Some have mistakenly cited Fagatogo as the capital due to the fact that is listed in the Constitution of American Samoa as the official seat of government.[1]
Employment on the island basically falls into three relatively equally-sized categories of approximately 5,000 workers each: the public sector, the two tuna canneries, and the rest of the private sector. There are only a few federal employees in American Samoa and no active military personnel (there is an Army Reserve unit, however); the overwhelming majority of public sector employees work for the American Samoa Government. The two tuna canneries (StarKist and Samoa Packing) export several hundred million dollars worth of canned tuna to the United States. In early 2007 the Samoan economy was highlighted in the U.S. Congress as it was not mentioned in the minimum wage bill, at the request of the Samoan delegate to the United States House of Representatives, Eni Faleomavaega.
The Fair Labor Standards Act has, since inception, contained special provisions for American Samoa, citing its limited economy.[3] Since the American set based on the recommendations of a Special Industry Committee meeting bi-annually.[4] Originally, the Act contained provisions for other territories, which were phased out as those territories developed more diverse economies.[5]
American Samoa is small enough to have just one ZIP code, 96799. The island contains 23 primary schools and six secondary schools, all of which are operated by the American Samoa Department of Education.[6] American Samoa Community College, founded in 1970, provides post-secondary education on the islands.
The culture in American Samoa is basically the same as in Western Samoa (Upolu). There are no major differences in culture between the two, same for the people themselves. The U.S. military and agricultural occupation distinguishes American Samoa from the sovereign Samoa.[7]
About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa, currently play in the National Football League. A 2002 article from ESPN[8] 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.
A number have also ventured into professional wrestling (see especially Anoa'i family).
The bloodsport of dog fighting is legal in American Samoa.[9]
American Samoa's national soccer team is considered one of the weakest teams in the world. It also has the distinction of suffering the worst loss in international soccer history: they lost to Australia 31-0 in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match on April 11 2001.
Wikimedia Atlas of American Samoa,
holding maps related to American Samoa.Government
Overviews
Other
 |
Territory of American Samoa Pago Pago (capital), Fagatogo (seat of government) |
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| Topics |
Geography | Economy | Demographics | Communications | Transportation |
| Government |
Politics | |
| Villages | |
| Islands |
Tutuila | Aunu'u | Ta'ū | Ofu‑Olosega | Rose Atoll | Swains Island) |
| Countries and territories of Oceania | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Polynesia | |
|---|---|
| Polynesian triangle | Austral Islands · Cook Islands · Easter Island · Gambier Islands · Hawaiian Islands · Loyalty Islands · Marquesas · New Zealand · Pitcairn Islands · Sala y Gómez · Samoan Islands · Society Islands · Tokelau · Tonga · Tuamotus · Tuvalu · Wallis and Futuna Islands |
| Polynesian
outliers and peripheral cultures |
Anuta · Emae · Futuna · Kapingamarangi · Mele · Nuguria · Nukumanu · Nukuoro · Ontong Java · Ouvéa · Pileni · Rennell · Rotuma · Sikaiana · Takuu · Tikopia |
| Austronesian-speaking countries and territories |
|---|
