American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is a special part of the United States in the south Pacific Ocean. It has several beautiful islands, including Tutuila, Aunuʻu, Ofu, Olosega, Taʻū, and Rose Atoll, as well as Swains Island. The largest town is Pago Pago, and it is also the capital.

People have lived in American Samoa for a very long time. The United States took control of the islands in the late 1800s. Today, American Samoa has its own local government, but it is still under the control of the United States.

The main industry is fishing, and the territory trades mostly with the United States. Tourism is growing but is still small because the islands are far away. American Samoa is unique because its people are not considered U.S. citizens by birth. Many Samoans want to keep their traditional ways of life, including their system of government and land ownership. They prefer to maintain their own culture.

The name "Samoa" means "holy center". It comes from words in the Samoan language: sa meaning "sacred" and moa meaning "center". Some stories say the name comes from a local chief named Samoa. Even though the country next door changed its name from Western Samoa in 1997, some people still call this place Eastern Samoa to tell it apart from its neighbor.

American Samoa is found in Oceania. It is one of only two places that belong to the United States in the Southern Hemisphere, the other being Jarvis Island. It has a total land area of 76.1 square miles (197.1 km²) – just a bit larger than Washington, D.C.. It is made up of five rugged, volcanic islands and two coral atolls.

American Samoa has a tropical climate all year. There are two main seasons: the wet and dry season. The wet season is from December to March. The dry season is from April to September. Temperatures stay warm, about 81–83 °F (27–28 °C).

American Samoa is home to many interesting animals. You can find the Pacific tree boa and the Samoa flying fox, which has very large wings. There are also two kinds of small snakes: the brahminy blind snake on Tutuila and the Pacific tree boa on Taʻū. The islands have five types of geckos, small lizards that climb on walls and trees.

The waters around American Samoa have many fish and coral, more than almost anywhere else in the United States. The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa protects these important sea animals. American Samoa has many special birds. Sixteen bird species found in the Samoan Islands live nowhere else on Earth, including the tooth-billed pigeon. Some birds, like the blue-crowned lory, live only in the Manuʻa Islands.