Out of the 16 US territories, American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the US that is made up of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls for a total of seven islands. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the American Samoa Islands are between Hawaii and New Zealand, just East of the International Date Line. A territory is administered by a country without being part of it. Instead of US citizens, the people who live in these states are considered to be US nationals who are protected by the federal government, but cannot vote or hold an elected office in America. Protectorates rely on other countries in treaties for defense, but they are nominally independent.
These islands were first settled by Polynesian navigators. The first Europeans to touch the soil of these islands were the Dutch in 1722, and then the French in 1768. In the 1800's, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Untied States competed for control of the Samoan Islands. In 1878, a treaty was signed by the US to create a naval base in Pago Pago Harbor to help Western nationals and foreign business interests control the local area. Germany, Britain, and the US signed the Tripartite Convention, which was a settlement that eventually allowed the US to have colonial control of Western Samoa. In 1899, The American Samoan Islands were split between the US and Germany. The US took control over the Eastern Islands, and the US Navy gained political control over it from 1900 to 1951. American Samoa was officially named a U.S. Protectorate in 1911, and it is celebrated annually as Flag Day. Americans can stay there indefinitely and visa free, but they need a passport to enter. During WWII, this territory was the bridge between the US and its allies for communication in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. In 1967, they adopted and ratified their own constitution, and this allowed them to govern themselves while still remaining a US territory. They elect their own governors and legislature, but are subject to oversight by the US federal government. In 2000, Congress passed the US Citizenship Clause of the Revised Organic Act of 1950 that granted US citizenship to anyone born there after 1-13-1941, if they reside in the territory for 183 days or meet other residency requirements.
Indigenous peoples of the American Samoas are part of the Polynesian culture, and almost all (90%) who live there are indigenous Samoans. A small minority are Tongon and Filipino. The Polynesian culture dates back over 3,000 years on paper, which makes it the oldest Polynesian settlement. The Samoans believe in the respect of their elders, working together as a community, and growing as a family. The language spoken is Gagana fa'a Sāmoa or Gagana Sāmoa or English.
Samoa is the first country close to the west side of the International Date Line that gets to celebrate the New Year. Because they moved their time zone in 2011, they ended up losing an entire day. Instead of being one of the last countries to celebrate the New Year, they became the first. In 2021, Samoa decided to no longer observe daylight savings.
Fun Facts About the American Samoas: Every day, the Royal Samoa Police Marching Band parades through the capital and plays music as they march from the Police Station Headquarters to the Government Building and back. The smallest of the islands, Apolima, was the first island in the South Pacific to run completely on solar power. Tutuila is the largest island and the main island. Samoan culture is still richly infused into the people. Even the traditional tattooing, by tapping ink into the skin with a bone, is still practiced today. Pago Pago is the capital and largest settlement of the American Samoas. The territorial flower is the Paogo (Ulafala), which is also known as the Pandanus tectorius, or Red Ginger. The National Park of American Samoa is the only US National Park that is south of the equator.
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