American Samoa, Unincorporated territory in South Pacific Ocean, United States.
Description
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory in the South Pacific, made up of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls southeast of Hawaii. The largest island, Tutuila, holds the natural harbor of Pago Pago, while the Manua Islands and remote Rose Atoll lie farther east, separated by open ocean.
History
The United States took control of the eastern Samoan islands through the Tripartite Convention of 1899 and set up a naval station in Pago Pago Bay. The territory remained under Navy command until 1951, when it passed to civilian administration under the Department of the Interior.
Culture
Residents speak Samoan in daily life and uphold Faa Samoa, the traditional way of living that shows in shared meals, danced stories, and woven mats. Villages are led by matai, elected family chiefs who meet in open-sided fale houses to decide on land use and ceremonies.
Practical
People who live here hold the status of United States nationals rather than citizens, which means they do not pay federal income tax. Passports from the US allow entry, but the flight from Honolulu takes about five hours, and the time zone runs one hour behind Hawaii.
Did you know?
These islands avoided any deaths during the 1918 flu pandemic through strict maritime quarantine, while nearby Western Samoa lost more than a fifth of its people. Older residents today still recall their grandparents' stories of closed harbors and turned-away ships.
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National Park of American Samoa
4.9 km
Ofu-Olosega
118.6 km
United States Naval Station Tutuila
2.9 kmLata Mountain
135.6 km
Aunu'u
17 km
Rainmaker Mountain
6.3 km
Sadie Thompson Building
2.7 km
Robert Louis Stevenson Museum
123.8 kmVeterans Memorial Stadium
4.5 km
Matafao Peak
461 m
Pago Park Soccer Stadium
2.8 km
Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Apia
125.5 km
Government House
2 km
Fanuatapu
81.1 km
Jean P. Haydon Museum
2.9 km
Blunts Point Battery
3.5 km
Cape Taputapu
15 km
Aggie Grey's Hotel and Bungalows
124.8 km
Atauloma Girls School
10.9 km
Vai'ava Strait
7.5 km
Fogama'a Crater
8.4 km
Mount ʻAlava
4 km
Le'ala Shoreline
10.4 km
Courthouse of American Samoa
2.7 km
Museum of Samoa
124.8 km
O Le Pupu-Puʿe National Park
115.5 kmBreakers Point Naval Guns
5.4 km
Fagalele Boys School
9.9 km
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