American Samoa


Status: Territory

Governor: Togiola Tulafono (2003)

Capital (2003 est.): Pago Pago, 4,100

Total area: 77 sq mi (199 sq km)

Population (2007 est.): 57,663 (growth rate: –0.3%); birth rate: 21.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 8.9/1000; life expectancy: 76.3; density per sq mi: 750

Languages: Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages) and English; most people are bilingual

Ethnicity/race: Samoan (Polynesian) 89%, Tongan 4%, Caucasian 2%, other 5%

Religions: Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant denominations and other 30%

Literacy rate: 97% (1980 est.)

Monetary unit: U.S. dollar

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2000 est.): $500 million; per capita $8,000. Real growth rate: n.a. Inflation: n.a. Unemployment: 6% (2000). Arable land: 10%. Agriculture: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock. Labor force: 14,000 (1996); government 33%, tuna canneries 34%, other 33% (1990). Industries: tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts. Natural resources: pumice, pumicite. Exports: $10 million (2004 est.): canned tuna 93% (2004 est.). Imports: $105 million (2004 est.): materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6% (2004 est.). Major trading partners: Samoa, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Germany (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 13,000 (1997); mobile cellular: 2,550 (1997). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998). Radios: 57,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997). Televisions: 14,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000). Internet users: n.a.

Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 350 km; paved: 150 km; unpaved: 200 km. Ports and harbors: Aunu'u (new construction), Auasi, Faleosao, Ofu, Pago Pago, Ta'u. Airports: 3 (2002).

International disputes: none.

Major sources and definitions



See also Encyclopedia: American Samoa.


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