Where is Samoa? Located in the South Pacific and midway between Hawaii and New Zealand, Samoa consists of two entities; Western Samoa - an independent nation since 1961, and American Samoa - a U.S. Territory since 1900. Samoa is generally referred to as the "Cradle of Polynesia" South Pacific
	Most Archaeologists believe the first Polynesians settled in what is now American Samoa around 600 B.C. By that time, Polynesians had established themselves on the eastern tip of Tutuila island in the village of Tula. These first inhabitants probably arrived in Tonga and the Samoas from the west, perhaps by way of Indonesia, Vanuatu and Fiji. Samoa's long isolation from the western world ended in 1722 when the Dutch explorer, Jacob Roggeveen, came upon the islands. It wasn't until 1831 however that European influence had any real impact. In that year, John Williams of the London Missionary Society arrived with eight Tahitian missionaries. Samoans took to Christianity with enthusiasm and remain a deeply religious people to this day. Modern day costal view of the ancient village of Tula with the island of Aunu'u in the background Courtesy Inter Island Air VideoCAM Traditonal Samoan open air house or "Fale" By the Treaty of Berlin, signed December 2, 1899, and ratified February 16, 1900, the U.S. was internationally acknowledged to have rights extending over all the islands of the Samoa group east of Longitude 1,715 west of Greenwich. The Samoa group west of Longitude 1,715 west of Greenwich was ceded to Germany (and named German Samoa until 1917 when it was renamed Western Samoa). On April 17, 1900, the chiefs of Tutuila and Aunu'u ceded those islands to the U.S. In 1904, the King and chiefs of Manu'a ceded the islands of Ofu, Olosega, and Tau (composing the Manu'a group) to the United States. Swains Island, some 214 miles north of Samoa, was included as part of the territory by Act of Congress on March 4, 1925; and on February 20, 1929, Congress formally accepted sovereignty over the entire group and placed the responsibility for administration in the hands of the President. From 1900 to 1951, by Presidential direction, the Department of the Navy governed the territory. On July 1, 1951, administration was transferred to the Department of the Interior. The first Constitution for the territory was signed on April 27, 1960, and revised in 1967. Birds eye view of the entrance to Pago Pago Harbor, the South Pacific's finest deep sea and mountain protected harbor (Courtesy Inter Island Air) As Japan began to emerge as an internation power in the mid-1930s, the U.S. Naval Station on Tutuila began to acquire new strategic importance. By 1940, the Samoan Islands had become a training and staging area for the U.S. Marine Corps. During World War 2, there were more U.S. military personnel on Tutuila then there were native Samoans. It was this massive influx of Americans that - for better or worse - gave Samoans a sudden taste of the benefits of a modern western society.
	American Samoa, a group of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls located some 2,600 miles south-west of Hawaii, and 1,590 miles from the northernmost tip of New Zealand and along 14 degrees latitude south of the equator and 170 degrees longitude covers an area of 77 sq. miles. Its immmediate neighbor is Western Samoa, an independent state 73 miles north-west of Tutuila. The administrative center and capital of American Samoa is Pago Pago (pronounced "Paa-go Paa-go") on the main island of Tutuila. Tutuila contains the spectacular Pago Pago Harbor which cuts deep in to the island's south central shoreline. At the eastern tip of Tutuila is Aunu'u, the smallest of the 5 inhabited islands. The islands of Ofu, Olosega and Tau lying 60 miles (160 km) to the east of Tutuila are referred to as the Manu'a Group and are part of American Samoa.
	American Samoa's climate is typically tropical, with temperatures seldom exceeding the mid-80's. Nights are balmy and cooling tradewinds blow almost constantly. As in most tropical areas, there are frequent heavy rains but, even during the so called raining season (December-March), there are extended periods of dry sunshine on a daily bases. Generally, the weather is cooler and sunnier from June through September. For the latest Samoa weather, visit SamoaNET's weather Webpage.
	American Samoa is an unorganized, U.S. Territory. The People of American Samoa are U.S. nationals, not U.S. citizens. Like U.S. citizens, they owe allegiance to the United States. American Samoa Government Executive Building American Samoa functions much like the U.S. system of Government consisting of an Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch. The Executive Branch is headed by an elected Govenor and Lt. Govenor who run for office every 4 years. The first elections for Govenor and Lt. Govenor occured in 1977. The Legislative Branch or "Fono" consist of a Senate and House. Members of the Senate are nominated through a Samoan system of Chiefs or "Matais". Members of the House of Representitives are elected by the people every 2 years. American Samoa also elects a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
	The population of American Samoa is 55,223 (est. July 1994) Most of the population live on Tutuila. Approximately 2,000 people live on the island of the Manu'a Group. American Samoan's are classified as U.S. nationals. Ethnic divisions are Samoan (Polynesian) 89%; Caucasian, 2%; Tongan 4%; other 6%. Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages) and English are the main languages, with all business transactions conducted in English. Most people or bilingual. The Literacy rate is 99%.
	The government of American Samoa encourages tourism through it's Office of Tourism, seeing it as an important contributor to the economy. A significant visitor flow began in 1979 and is now sustained at about 10,000 tourist annually. The visitor finds beautiful beaches on these lush green volcanic islands, unspoiled pristine villages and costal area, tropical flowers and shrubs, sleepy lagoons and encircled coral reefs - a good atmosphere in which to relax or do business.
	The principle economy of American Samoa is Tuna processing and canning. Two major U.S. tuna canneries (combined together are referred to as the world's largest) adjorning Pago Pago harbor form the bases of a thriving fishing industry and employ more than 3,000 Samoans. Fishing boats from the U.S., New Zealand, Korea and Taiwan supply catches to the canneries. Purse Seiner fishing boats as shown above supply Star Kist and Van Camp Tuna Cannaries with Fish Equiped with helicoptors, Purse Seiner s are able to track fish movement quickly The economic activities are strongly linked to the U.S., with which American Samoa does 80-90% of its foreign trade. The local commerce operates mainly to support goods and services directly or indirectly to the Tuna canneries and the American Samoa Government. The Gross domestic product (1991) was $128 million; per capita was $2,600 and inflation averages around 7%.
	Local telephone and long distance service is operated by the American Samoa Government Office of Communications. American Samoa has a good and modern telecommunication infrastructure, consisting of 7 Digital Telephone exchanges connected together via a network of microwave and fiber-optic links. All inhabited islands of have telephone connectivity. There are approximately 20,000 installed telephone lines. Cellular telephone service was established in 1986 and currently has a customer base of over 3,000 cell phones. High quality voice and data service (ISDN, T1) is available. Telex, telegraph and internet/e-mail service is also provided. SamoaSAT Satellite Eath Station in Tafuna provides 24-hour voice, video and data communications to and from the rest of the world 24-hour telecommuncations to and from the outside world is possible through a Satellite system operated by Samoa Technologies, Inc's SamoaSAT division. SamoaSAT operates an IntelSAT B type station, consisting of two satellite dishes (13 meter and 15 meter antennas) which provide both voice and data communications. Being a U.S. Territory, the postal service is operated by the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Zip Code for American Samoa is 96799. The same standard U.S. postal rates apply to American Samoa.
	Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) (Courtesy of Inter Island Air VideoCAM) Mt. Rainmaker overlooking Pago Pago Harbor American Samoa features an International Airport (PPG is the IATA code for Pago Pago International). Twice weekly DC-10 flights to and from Hawaii and onward to the U.S. mainland is provided by Hawaiian Airlines. Travel to other famous South Pacific destinations and island countries is provided by Polynesian Airlines and Samoa Air. Visit the American Samoa Business Directory webpage for airline information. The world famous Pago Pago harbor is noted for its deep water and few navigational hazards. Regular and fully-containerized shipping services link the U.S. west coast, Honolulu, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and regional Pacific Island countries. Weekly Container and bulk shipping calls are made from Honolulu and the U.S. West coast while twice monthly same service occurs to and from New Zealand.
	Last Update: August 2, 1997 Authored by SamoaNET. Copyright © 1997 Samoanet. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders. If you have any comments or suggestions, send us E-mail at: amsamoa@samoanet.com