Johnston Atoll is an unincorporated territory of the United States and is one of the oldest and most remote atolls in the world. [43] In January 2014, filmmaker Paul Crompton visited the territory to interview local residents for a documentary film about the 1974 crash. The summer months of December to March bring hotter temperatures, while the months from April to November are considered the dry season. 6875,[24] following the dissolution of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony by the United Kingdom. It is home to over 170,000 people and is well-known as a popular military base location. American Samoa ( Samoan: Amerika Smoa, pronounced [amika sama]; also Amelika Smoa or Smoa Amelika) is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. 1408(1) as facially unconstitutional, holding that "Persons born in American Samoa are citizens of the United States by the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment",[78] but the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed the district court's judgment and found the statute constitutional. [1] World Christian Database 2010 estimate shows the religious affiliations of American Samoa as 98.3% Christian, 0.7% agnostic, 0.4% Chinese Universalist, 0.3% Buddhist and 0.3% followers of the Bah Faith. The matai (chiefs) are elected by consensus within the fono of the extended family and village(s) concerned. Bounty mutineers. A compulsory armistice was then called because of the lack of any warships.[13]. According to a 1999 estimate, the territory has no merchant marine. Agricultural production serves as a cover for domestic needs and only a small share of fruits and vegetables are exported. Most but not all federal laws apply to Puerto Rico. [201], The many-colored fruit dove is one of the rarest birds that nest on Tutuila. It lies about 1,600 miles (2,600 km) northeast of New Zealand and 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is located off the shores of Vatia. [188]:252, 915 nearshore fish species have been recorded in American Samoa, compared to only 460 nearshore fish species in Hawaii. About half of the population belongs to one of several Protestant denominations, among which the Congregational Christian Church has the largest following. [195] As of the year 2000, scientists from the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resource estimated that there are fewer than 5,500 Pacific flying foxes in American Samoa, and an estimated 900 or fewer Samoa flying foxes. The store was closed, as Mr. Shimasaki had been interned as an enemy alien. [81] Since the delegate's office was created in 1978, three people have held the seat: Democrat Fof Iosefa Fiti Sunia (19811988); Democrat Eni Faleomavaega (19892015); and Republican Aumua Amata Radewagen (2015)[82] American Samoans also participate in partisan presidential primaries, as well as send delegates to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Samoans have tended to emigrate instead to New Zealand, whose influence has made the sports of rugby and cricket more popular in the western Samoan islands. [128], In 2007, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 was passed, increasing the minimum wage in American Samoa by 50 per hour in 2007 and another 50 per hour each year thereafter until the minimum wage in American Samoa equals the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour in the United States. Saelua and Nicky Salapu, the man famous for being the goalkeeper during the team's 310 loss to Australia in 2001, feature prominently in the film. The Department of Public Safety trained its force for special games security. Swains Island, an inhabited coral atoll, about 280 miles (450 km) northwest of Tutuila and physiographically separate from the archipelago, was made a part of American Samoa in 1925. It consists of four small islands on a raised coral atoll formation that are partially enclosed on the north and west by a 7.5-mile (12-km) semicircular reef. Palmyra Atoll, formerly Samarang, coral atoll, unincorporated territory of the United States, in the Northern Line Islands in the west-central Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southwest of Honolulu. [21]:89. Unincorporated and unorganized U.S. territory in the United States, World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic, Official protest to naming of neighboring Samoa. Rugby union is a growing sport in American Samoa. [c] The American Samoan government, via its Immigration Office, controls the migration of foreign nationals to the islands. [6][7] Tuna products are the main exports, with the U.S. proper serving as the largest trading partner. The main sports played in American Samoa are football, Samoan cricket, canoeing, yachting, basketball, golf, netball, tennis, rugby, table tennis, boxing, bowling, volleyball, and fishing tournaments. She was greeted by government dignitaries and presented with gifts and a traditional ava ceremony. Native land, which makes up over 90% of all land in the territory, is land under the communal ownership of an aiga, as opposed to the private ownership of an individual. Covering an area of 540 sq.km (210 sq mi), Guam is an organized unincorporated territory of the United States in Micronesia; and the southernmost and largest island in the Mariana Island chain, located in the western North Pacific Ocean. Kaino is one of twenty New Zealand rugby players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice, back to back in 2011 and 2015. On December 12, at Aasu Bay, Laprouse ordered his gunners to fire one cannonball amid the attackers who had killed his men the day before and were now returning to launch another attack. As one writer described it, "The fire was not returned, notwithstanding the eagerness of the Samoan Marines to test their skill against the enemy No American or Samoan Marines were wounded. Today it is a prominent restaurant and inn.[33]. Most people think of the United States of America as being comprised of 50 states, but the country also includes 16 territories. Tulafono criticizes StarKist", The most expensive internet in America: fighting to bring affordable broadband to American Samoa, Persons Employed in a U.S. Possession/Territory FICA, Persons Employed in a U.S. Possession/Territory FUTA, Individuals Living or Working in U.S. Territories/Possessions, Publication 570, Tax Guide for Individuals With Income From U.S. The Pele US Army Reserve Center is in Tafuna,[120] and a U.S. Army and United States Marine Corps recruiting station is in Nuuuli. The park would have facilities for sports and recreation as well as facilities for boats and the growing number of Asian immigrants arriving from Korea, Japan, and China. The Defense Logistics Agency worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 16' 16' humanitarian tents to the devastated areas of American Samoa. Federal laws also include decisions by courts that interpret federal laws. This is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere meet, and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. [150][151], American Samoa does not impose a sales tax, but it imposes a general import tax of 8%. In 2017, GDP in American Samoa decreased by 5.8%, but in 2018 it increased by 2.2%.[124]. A native of Leone, Kaino moved to New Zealand when he was four. [21]:359, In 1982, yachters competed in the Hobie World Championship held in Tahiti. The island is volcanic in origin, and ringed by steep coastal cliffs and sandy beaches. The basic unit of the American Samoa culture is the aiga (family). American Samoa has a tropical climate all year round with two distinct seasons, the wet and dry season. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the people born in American Samoaincluding those born on Swains Islandare "nationals but not citizens of the United States at birth". [37]:178[38] The fact that First Lady reviewed the troops led to further assurance that Tutuila Island was considered safe. [21]:292. Of the seven islands, Rose Atoll is the only uninhabited one; it is a Marine National Monument. American Samoans still use the terms Western Samoa and Western Samoans."[100]. Also in 1983, the South Pacific Games were held in Apia. Commerce and exchange routes between the western Polynesian societies are well documented and it is speculated that the Tui Manua dynasty grew through its success in obtaining control over the oceanic trade of currency goods such as finely woven ceremonial mats, whale ivory "tabua", obsidian and basalt tools, chiefly red feathers, and seashells reserved for royalty (such as polished nautilus and the egg cowry). Rural means cities, towns, or unincorporated areas that individually have populations of no more than 10,000 inhabitants as adjusted by exclusion of individuals incarcerated on a long-term or regional basis and the Travel writer Paul Theroux noted that there were marked differences between the societies in Samoa and American Samoa. Federal dollars enter the economy through congressional appropriations, categorical grants, Social Security payments, and payments to Samoans retired from the military. Political life revolves around articulating, explaining, and defining Guam's ambiguous relationship with the United States. It comprises some 50 islets with a combined area of 4 square miles (10 square km) and an average elevation of only 6 feet (2 metres) above sea level. [79] On July 20, 2021, the Legislature of American Samoa unanimously passed a resolution in support of the 10th Circuit Court's decision to reverse. Author of. The highest mountains are: Lata Mountain (Ta), 3,170ft (970m); Matafao Peak, 2,141ft (653m); Piumafua (Olosega), 2,095ft (639m); and Tumutumu (Ofu), 1,621ft (494m). It was the first time in more than 15 years that a police officer was killed in the line of duty. There is also the traditional village politics of the Samoa Islands, the "faamatai" and the "faa Smoa", which continues in American Samoa and independent Samoa, and which interacts across these current boundaries. The southern hemisphere winter, from June to September, is the coolest time of the year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initially granted his request for an exemption, but backed down after being accused of serving special interests, since tuna packing company Chicken of the Sea was based in her district. Considered a pacific pioneer in New Zealand rugby,[185] Solomon scored a try against Australia in the inaugural Bledisloe Cup match in 1932, which New Zealand won 2113. Biologists estimate that there are over two million toads on Tutuila. American Samoa's biggest win was in 2004 against New Caledonia with a final score of 626. The other rounds fell harmlessly into the harbor. Butcher, Russell D. and Lynn P. Whitaker (1999). Freelance writer and journalist. [1] Most American Samoans are bilingual and can speak English and Samoan fluently.[1][5]. Production nearly meets domestic needs, and the U.S. government has implemented programs to increase production to self-sufficiency levels. Manuan genealogies and religious oral literature also suggest that the Tui Manua had long been one of the most prestigious and powerful paramounts of Samoa. Sometime after takeoff, the aircraft experienced trouble, and Musick turned it back toward Pago Pago. Some of these territories however have been organized and have their own constitutions under the jurisdiction of the United States. American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. [2][161] About 57.6% of the population were born in American Samoa, 28.6% in independent Samoa, 6.1% in other parts of the United States, 4.5% in Asia, 2.9% in other parts of Oceania, and 0.2% elsewhere. After an initial objection, Secretary Leiato gave his support and was appointed Chairman of the Territorial Parks and Recreation Committee. Samoa Packing, a Chicken of the Sea subsidiary closed in 2009, citing both minimum wage increases and increasing foreign competition, with the latter as the "main reason". "[36], On August 24, 1943, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited American Samoa and inspected the Fita Fita Guard and Band and the First Samoan Battalion of U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at the U.S. Samoa 2d. [49] U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited town on June 3, 2017. The most notable of these inlets is Pago Pago Harbor, which divides the island nearly in two. From 2002 to 2007, the population of American Samoa increased at an average annual rate of 2.3 percent, and real GDP per capita decreased at an average annual rate of 1.9 percent. In addition to the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the U.S., federal laws include statutes that are periodically codified in the U.S. Code. Slate's Definitive Ranking, "American Samoa briefly in Convention lights", "American Samoa football team get first ever win", "Transgender Player Helps American Samoa to First International Soccer Win", "Next Goal Wins for 'world's worst football team', "Michael Fassbender to Star in Taika Waititi's 'Next Goal Wins', "The first Island men to play for the All Blacks", "Park usage numbers increase despite major problems with vandalism and limited facilities", Natural History Guide to American Samoa, 3rd Edition, Status of Sea Turtles in American Samoa in 1991, National Park of American Samoa, General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, NOAA's National Weather Service American Samoa, Political status of the Cook Islands and Niue, African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Samoa&oldid=1158264150, English-speaking countries and territories, States and territories established in 1899, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from November 2017, Articles using infobox templates with no data rows, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from May 2020, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016, Articles containing potentially dated statements from April 2023, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata namespace mismatch, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 19611990), Bravo Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, Charlie Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, USAR Theater Support Group Detachment American Samoa, 1st Evacuation/Mortuary Platoon, 2nd Platoon, 962nd Quartermaster Company, This page was last edited on 3 June 2023, at 00:02.