1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages 124 inches; rainy season from November to April, dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
116 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Contiguous zone
12 nm;
Continental shelf
200 m;
Environment
typhoons common from December to March
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
none
Land use
10% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 75% forest and woodland; 10% other
Natural resources
pumice and pumicite
Note
Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location about 3,700 km south-southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
Terrain
five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
199 km2; land area: 199 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
41 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
4 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
90% Samoan (Polynesian), 2% Caucasian, 2% Tongan, 6% other
Infant mortality rate
11 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
10,000; 48% government, 33% tuna canneries, 19% other
Language
Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages) and English; most people are bilingual
Life expectancy at birth
69 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Literacy
99%
Nationality
noun--American Samoan(s); adjective--American Samoan
Net migration rate
- 8 immigrants/1,000 population (1990)
Note
about 65,000 American Samoans live in the States of California and Washington and 20,000 in Hawaii
Organized labor
NA
Population
41,840 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)
Religion
about 50% Christian Congregationalist, 20% Roman Catholic, 30% mostly Protestant denominations and other
Total fertility rate
5.4 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (territory of the US)
Capital
Pago Pago
Communists
none
Constitution
ratified 1966, in effect 1967
Diplomatic representation
none (territory of the US)
Elections
Governor--last held 7 November 1988 (next to be held November 1992); results--Peter T. Coleman was elected (percent of vote NA); Senate--last held 7 November 1988 (next to be held November 1992); results--senators elected by county councils from 12 senate districts; seats--(18 total) number of seats by party NA; House of Representatives--last held 7 November 1988 (next to be held November 1990); results--representatives popularly elected from 17 house districts; seats--(21 total, 20 elected and 1 nonvoting delegate from Swain's Island); US House of Representatives--last held 19 November 1988 (next to be held November 1990); results--Eni R. F. H. Faleomavaega elected as a nonvoting delegate
Executive branch
US president, governor, lieutenant governor
Flag
blue with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the fly side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club
Independence
none (territory of the US)
Judicial branch
High Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989); Vice President Dan QUAYLE (since 20 January 1989); Head of Government--Governor Peter Tali COLEMAN (since 20 January 1989); Lieutenant Governor Galea'i POUMELE (since NA 1989)
Legislative branch
bicameral Legislature (Fono) consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Long-form name
Territory of American Samoa
National holiday
Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
Note
administered by the US Department of Interior, Office of Territorial and International Affairs; indigenous inhabitants are US nationals, not citizens of the US
Suffrage
universal at age 18; indigenous inhabitants are US nationals, not US citizens
Type
unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US
Economy
Agriculture
bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas
Aid
$20.1 million in operational funds and $5.8 million in construction funds for capital improvement projects from the US Department of Interior (1989)
Budget
revenues $90.3 million; expenditures $93.15 million, including capital expenditures of $4.9 million (1988)
Currency
US currency is used
Electricity
35,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced, 1,720 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
US currency is used
Exports
$288 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--canned tuna 93%; partners--US 99.6%
External debt
$NA
Fiscal year
1 October-30 September
GNP
$190 million, per capita $5,210; real growth rate NA% (1985)
Imports
$346 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities--building materials 18%, food 17%, petroleum products 14%; partners--US 72%, Japan 7%, NZ 7%, Australia 5%, other 9%
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
tuna canneries (largely dependent on foreign supplies of raw tuna)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.3% (1989)
Overview
Economic development is strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa does 90% of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector economy, with canned tuna the primary export. The tuna canneries are the second-largest employer, exceeded only by the government. Other economic activities include meat canning, handicrafts, dairy farming, and a slowly developing tourist industry. Tropical agricultural production provides little surplus for export.
Unemployment rate
13.4% (1986)
Communications
Airports
3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440 to 3,659 m (international airport at Tafuna, near Pago Pago); small airstrips on Ta'u and Ofu
Highways
350 km total; 150 km paved, 200 km unpaved
Ports
Pago Pago, Ta'u
Railroads
small marine railroad in Pago Pago harbor
Telecommunications
6,500 telephones; stations--1 AM, no FM, 1 TV; good telex, telegraph, and facsimile services; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of the US