Difference between revisions of "American Samoa" - New World Encyclopedia
Mike Butler (talk | contribs) m |
Mike Butler (talk | contribs) m |
||
Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||
− | + | American Samoa is a group of islands in the South [[Pacific Ocean]], located east of the international dateline and south of the equator, about halfway between [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaii]] and [[New Zealand]]. The total land area is 199 [[square kilometre|km²]], slightly larger than Washington, DC, and comprises five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, and two coral atolls. Island names in order of size are [[Tutuila]], [[Tau, Samoa|Ta‘ū]], [[Ofu-Olosega|Ofu]], [[Ofu-Olosega|Olosega]], [[Aunuu|Aunu‘u]], [[Swains Island]], and [[Rose Atoll]]. The islands have a tropical marine climate, moderated by southeast [[trade wind]]s. Annual rainfall averages about 3 m. The [[rainy season]] lasts from November to April, and the [[dry season]] from May to October. There is little seasonal temperature variation. There is a hurricane season from December to March. Hurricane Heta struck Tutuila and Manu`a in January, 2004. There are limited natural [[fresh water resources]]. The water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to expand well systems, improve water catchments and pipelines. Forests and woodland cover 70 percent of the land, 10 percent is in permanent crops and five percent is arable land. [[Pago Pago]] has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds. | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
− | + | The first Polynesians to arrive in the Samoan islands came island-hopping, over several generations, from Southeast Asia more than 4000 years ago. From there they migrated east toward the Society Islands, north towards Hawaii, and southwest towards New Zealand. Samoa enjoys a rich history, preserved in folklore and myth, of ocean voyages, conquests of other islands, and war with the Kingdom of Tonga and Fiji. | |
− | + | Contact with Europeans began in the early 1700s and intensified with the arrival of British missionaries and traders in the 1830s. Then, Samoans were perceived as savage and warlike, as they clashed with the French, German, British, and American soldiers who valued Samoa as a refueling station for coal-fired shipping. | |
− | + | Until about 1860, Samoa was ruled by tribal chiefs known as matai. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 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 (pronounced PAYN-go PAYN-go) — the following year. The western islands are now the independent nation of Samoa. | |
− | International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 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 (pronounced PAYN-go PAYN-go) — the following year. The western islands are now the independent nation of Samoa. | ||
[[Image:Samoa_islands_2002.gif|right|430px|American Samoa]] | [[Image:Samoa_islands_2002.gif|right|430px|American Samoa]] | ||
− | |||
− | the Tutuila | + | After the U.S. took possession of American 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 Manua in 1904. The last sovereign of Manua, the Tui Manua Elisala, was forced to sign a Deed of Cession of Manu'a following a series of U.S. Naval trials, known as the "Trial of the Ipu," in Pago Pago, Ta'u, and aboard a Pacific Squadron gunboat. |
During [[World War II]], U.S. Marines in American Samoa outnumbered the local population and had a huge cultural influence on the islands. After the war, Organic Act 4500, a U.S. Department of Interior-sponsored attempt to incorporate American Samoa, was defeated in Congress, primarily through the efforts of American Samoan chiefs, led by Tuiasosopo Mariota. These chiefs' efforts led to the creation of a local legislature, the American Samoa ''Fono''. | During [[World War II]], U.S. Marines in American Samoa outnumbered the local population and had a huge cultural influence on the islands. After the war, Organic Act 4500, a U.S. Department of Interior-sponsored attempt to incorporate American Samoa, was defeated in Congress, primarily through the efforts of American Samoan chiefs, led by Tuiasosopo Mariota. These chiefs' efforts led to the creation of a local legislature, the American Samoa ''Fono''. | ||
Line 99: | Line 73: | ||
− | == | + | ==Demographics== |
Revision as of 08:48, 20 April 2006
| |||||
National motto: Samoa, Muamua Le Atua (Samoa, Let God Be First) | |||||
Principal languages | Samoan, English | ||||
Capital | Pago Pago | ||||
Governor | Togiola Tulafono | ||||
Area - Total |
Ranked 226th 199 km² | ||||
Population - Total (2003) - Density |
Ranked 203rd 70,260 353/km² | ||||
Currency | U.S. dollar | ||||
Time zone | Universal Time -11 | ||||
National anthem | Amerika Samoa | ||||
Internet TLD | .as | ||||
Country calling code | +1-684 |
American Samoa is an unorganized, incorporated 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 Island chain, located west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and some 500 km south of Tokelau. To the west are the islands of the Wallis and Futuna group.
Geography
American Samoa is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, located east of the international dateline and south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The total land area is 199 km², slightly larger than Washington, DC, and comprises five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, and two coral atolls. Island names in order of size are Tutuila, Ta‘ū, Ofu, Olosega, Aunu‘u, Swains Island, and Rose Atoll. The islands have a tropical marine climate, moderated by southeast trade winds. Annual rainfall averages about 3 m. The rainy season lasts from November to April, and the dry season from May to October. There is little seasonal temperature variation. There is a hurricane season from December to March. Hurricane Heta struck Tutuila and Manu`a in January, 2004. There are limited natural fresh water resources. The water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to expand well systems, improve water catchments and pipelines. Forests and woodland cover 70 percent of the land, 10 percent is in permanent crops and five percent is arable land. Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds.
History
The first Polynesians to arrive in the Samoan islands came island-hopping, over several generations, from Southeast Asia more than 4000 years ago. From there they migrated east toward the Society Islands, north towards Hawaii, and southwest towards New Zealand. Samoa enjoys a rich history, preserved in folklore and myth, of ocean voyages, conquests of other islands, and war with the Kingdom of Tonga and Fiji. Contact with Europeans began in the early 1700s and intensified with the arrival of British missionaries and traders in the 1830s. Then, Samoans were perceived as savage and warlike, as they clashed with the French, German, British, and American soldiers who valued Samoa as a refueling station for coal-fired shipping. Until about 1860, Samoa was ruled by tribal chiefs known as matai. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 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 (pronounced PAYN-go PAYN-go) — the following year. The western islands are now the independent nation of Samoa.
After the U.S. took possession of American 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 Manua in 1904. The last sovereign of Manua, the Tui Manua Elisala, was forced to sign a Deed of Cession of Manu'a following a series of U.S. Naval trials, known as the "Trial of the Ipu," in Pago Pago, Ta'u, and aboard a Pacific Squadron gunboat.
During World War II, U.S. Marines in American Samoa outnumbered the local population and had a huge cultural influence on the islands. After the war, Organic Act 4500, a U.S. Department of Interior-sponsored attempt to incorporate American Samoa, was defeated in Congress, primarily through the efforts of American Samoan chiefs, led by Tuiasosopo Mariota. These chiefs' efforts led to the creation of a local legislature, the American Samoa Fono.
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 in 1967. The U.S. Territory of American Samoa is on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, a listing disputed by territorial government officials.
.
Economy
Demographics
Culture
Trivia
((USE SOME OF THIS IN VARIOUS SECTIONS, MIKE, IF YOU LIKE, BUT EVENTUALLY GET RID OF THIS SECTION.))
- American Samoa is the location of Rose Atoll, the southernmost point in the U.S. (if insular areas and territories are included).
- Goods manufactured in territories or protectorates of the U.S., including American Samoa, can be labeled "Made in the USA."
- About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa, currently play in the National Football League. It has been estimated that a Samoan male (either an American Samoan, or a Samoan living stateside) is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan American. A number have also ventured into professional wrestling.
- Persons born in American Samoa are U.S. nationals, but not U.S. citizens. This is the only circumstance under which an individual would be one and not the other.
- The American Samoa national soccer team holds an unwanted world record in international soccer—the record defeat in an international match, a 31-0 crushing by Australia in 2001.
External links
- CIA - The World Factbook — American Samoa - CIA's Factbook on American Samoa
- [1]"The Passive Resistance of Samoans to US and Other Colonialisms", article in "Sovereignty Matters", ed. Joanne Barker, University of Nebraska Press, 2005.
- History of American Samoa- Essay which looks at the history of the territory from ancient to more modern times.
- Jane's American Samoa Page
- Library of Congress Portals of the World - American Samoa - Library of Congress resource which provides links to resources on American Samoa.
- Map of American Samoa - Map showing the basic layout of American Samoa.
- Revised Constitution of American Samoa - Provides the text of the constition of American Samoa.
- The Official Webpage of the American Samoa Government - Lists information on the territorial government including officials and recent legislation.
- United Nations Decolonization Papers - Online United Nations Decolonization Documents including current and past Working Papers on American Samoa
- ChooHoo! - An online community for Samoans. Features include forums, chat, blogs, etc.
- Rulers.org — American_samoa List of rulers for American Samoa
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.