American Samoa

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 (formerly known as Western Samoa). It is the southernmost territory of the United States.

The main (largest and most populous) island is Tutuila, with the Manuʻa Islands, Swains Island and Rose Atoll (an uninhated wildlife refuge) 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 population is around 57,000 (2000 census) of which 95% live on Tutuila. The total land area is 200.22 km2 (77 sq mi), slightly more than Washington, DC.

American Samoa is administratively divided into three districts and two "unorganized" atolls. The districts and unorganized atolls are subdivided into 74 villages. Pago Pago - the capital of American Samoa - is one of the largest villages and is located on the eastern side of Tutuila island in Ma'oputasi County district #9. Fagatogo is listed in the Constitution of American Samoa as the official seat of government, but it is not the capital.

The Manuʻa Islands now contain only a few percent of the population of American Samoa, whereas in the the 1930s some 20% of the population of American Samoa lived in the Manuʻa Islands - but even by the 1980s, only 6% were located there. Emigration is the consequence of a lack of economic opportunities and a desire of young people to participate in the more modern lifestyle offered on Tutuila.

Swains Island is claimed by supporters of independence for Tokelau as part of that country. Swains Islanders and Tokelauans enjoy linguistic and cultural affinities - Tokelauans refer to Swains as Olohega. The American and New Zealand governments are not inclined to pursue any change of territorial status of the Swains Island. However, the existence of a clause in a draft independence treaty espoused by Tokelauan nationalists is a matter which could be a potential issue longer-term. The island is owned by one family and used as a copra plantation, with a population of 37 Tokelauans, thus in the view of some analysts the issue is more symbolic than having a material impact on the economy of American Samoa - or the educational aspects (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swains_Island).

As noted above, Rose Atoll is an uninhabited wildlife refuge.

Employment on Tutuila falls into three relatively equal-sized categories of approximately 5,000 workers each: the public sector, the single tuna cannery (there used to be several), and the rest of the private sector.

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