Imagine a place 2,000 miles from land. Turquoise water, razor-edged hills rising out of serene beaches, majestic mountains covered with green vegetation, wild and tropical flowers that bloom all year round. Yep, that’s American Samoa, our home - and one of the greenest places in the South Pacific. Fourteen degrees below the equator, American Samoa is the United States’ southern-most territory. The seven islands of American Samoa are situated in the South Pacific about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. Tutuila, with the capital city of Pago Pago, is the largest island and is the administrative center of American Samoa.

American Samoa is located 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii, and more than 4,100 miles Southwest of San Francisco. Our island territory lies approximately 1,600 miles northeast of New Zealand, and about 40 miles east of the independent state of Western Samoa, with which we have close cultural, economic, and family ties. The aliis or chiefs of Tutuila signed the Deed of Cession and American Samoa became an unorganized U.S. territory in 1900.

Let me teach you some Samoan. Talofa means Hello. Tofa means Goodbye. Faafetai means Thank you. Oh and Samoa means Sacred Heart.

Culture:  Although we are a U.S. territory, our scenic landscape presents a very unique look into our culture where the fa’a Samoa or the Samoan traditions are hardly touched by the hassles of tourism. Visitors to American Samoa often get only a superficial impression of our island and are often disappointed about the little sign of the Polynesian culture. Yet right underneath this western veneer, the fa’a Samoa still survives.

It’s in the land system – how it’s inherited, how it’s managed, how it’s leased but never sold. It’s in the concept of time. It’s in the arts and crafts – in the unique siapo making, in the poetry, how to dance and make music and celebrate. Tradition survives intact in hospitality, in generosity, in the traditional wear and many other ways.

General Information: The population of American Samoa is about 60,000. The per capita income is $4,357, and the median household is about $18,000. Ethnically, 88% of the population is Samoan; 3% is Tongan, and the remaining 9% is composed of other Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Chinese, Koreans and Caucasians, or are multi-ethnic. Both English and Samoan are spoken. Most residents are bi-lingual. More than 50% of the population in American Samoa is under 25. The median age is 21.