| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long
form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa
abbreviation: AS |
| Capital: |
Pago Pago |
| 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 |
| 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 from November to April, dry season from 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) |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific
Ocean 0 m
highest point: Lata 966 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
pumice, pumicite |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
NA |
| Administratives
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 1966,
in effect 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) and Vice President
Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003)
cabinet: NA
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket
for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 2 and 16 November 2004
(next to be held 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 of which are elected by popular vote and 1 is an appointed,
nonvoting delegate from Swains Island; members serve two-year terms)
and the Senate (18 seats; members are elected from local chiefs and
serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2002 (next
to be held 2 November 2004); Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be
held 2 November 2004)
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 7 November 2002 (next to be held
2 November 2004); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat) 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
[leader NA]; Republican Party [leader NA] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
57,902 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 36.6%
(male 10,983; female 10,208)
15-64 years: 60.3% (male 18,010; female 16,933)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 699; female 1,069) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 22.4
years
male: 22.1 years
female: 22.7 years (2004 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: American
Samoan(s)
adjective: American Samoan |
| Ethnic groups: |
Samoan (Polynesian)
89%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan 4%, other 5% |
| Religions: |
Christian Congregationalist
50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30% |
| Languages: |
Samoan (closely
related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English
note: most people are bilingual |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
15,000 (2001) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
2,377 (1999) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: NA
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone
services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station
international: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Pacific Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave
0 (2004) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (2004) |
| Internet country
code: |
.as |
| Internet hosts: |
0 |
| Internet users: |
NA |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
0 |
| Highways: |
total: 350
km
paved: 150 km
unpaved: 200 km |
| Waterways: |
0 |
| Pipelines: |
0 |
| Ports and harbors: |
Aunu'u (new construction),
Auasi, Faleosao, Ofu, Pago Pago, Ta'u |
| Merchant marine: |
none |
| Airports: |
3 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
none |
