222 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
222 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
AMERICAN SAMOA
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(territory of the US)
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 199 km2; land area: 199 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 116 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds;
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annual rainfall averages 124 inches; rainy season from November to April,
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dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation
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Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited
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coastal plains, two coral atolls
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Natural resources: pumice and pumicite
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Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and
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pastures 0%; forest and woodland 75%; other 10%
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Environment: typhoons common from December to March
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Note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in
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the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected
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by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location about
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3,700 km south-southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about
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halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
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PEOPLE
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Population: 43,052 (July 1991), growth rate 2.9% (1991)
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Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 8 immigrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 11 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--American Samoan(s); adjective--American Samoan
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Ethnic divisions: Samoan (Polynesian) 90%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan
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2%, other 6%
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Religion: Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,
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Protestant denominations and other 30%
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Language: Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian
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languages) and English; most people are bilingual
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Literacy: 97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1980)
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Labor force: 11,145; government 48%, tuna canneries 33%, other
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19% (1986 est.)
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Organized labor: NA
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Note: about 65,000 American Samoans live in the States of
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California and Washington and 20,000 in Hawaii
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Territory of American Samoa
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Type: unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US
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Capital: Pago Pago
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Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)
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Independence: none (territory of the US)
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Constitution: ratified 1966, in effect 1967
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National holiday: Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
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Executive branch: President of the US, governor, lieutenant
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governor
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Legislative branch: bicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono) consists
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of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
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Judicial branch: High Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989);
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Vice President Dan QUAYLE (since 20 January 1989);
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Head of Government--Governor Peter Tali COLEMAN (since 20
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January 1989);
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Lieutenant Governor Galea'i POUMELE (since NA 1989)
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Suffrage: universal at age 18; indigenous inhabitants are US
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nationals, not US citizens
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Elections:
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Governor--last held 7 November 1988 (next to be held November
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1992); results--Peter T. COLEMAN was elected (percent of vote NA);
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Senate--last held 7 November 1988 (next to be held November
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1992);
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results--senators elected by county councils from 12 senate
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districts;
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seats--(18 total) number of seats by party NA;
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House of Representatives--last held NA November 1990 (next to be
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held November 1992);
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results--representatives popularly elected from 17 house districts;
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seats--(21 total, 20 elected and 1 nonvoting delegate from Swain's
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Island);
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US House of Representatives--last held 19 November 1990 (next
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to be held November 1992);
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results--Eni R. F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA reelected as a nonvoting delegate
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Communists: none
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Member of: IOC, SPC
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Diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)
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Flag: blue with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the
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fly side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald
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eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan
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symbols of authority, a staff and a war club
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Note: administered by the US Department of Interior, Office of
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Territorial and International Affairs; indigenous inhabitants are US
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nationals, not citizens of the US
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Economic development is strongly linked to the US, with
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which American Samoa does 90% of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna
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processing plants are the backbone of the private-sector economy, with
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canned tuna the primary export. The tuna canneries are the second-largest
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employer, exceeded only by the government. Other economic activities
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include meat canning, handicrafts, dairy farming, and a slowly developing
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tourist industry.
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GNP: $190 million, per capita $5,210; real growth rate NA% (1985)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: 13.4% (1986)
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Budget: revenues $51.2 million; expenditures $59.9 million,
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including capital expenditures of $NA million (1990)
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Exports: $288 million (f.o.b., 1987);
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commodities--canned tuna 93%;
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partners--US 99.6%
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Imports: $346 million (c.i.f., 1987);
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commodities--building materials 18%, food 17%, petroleum
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products 14%;
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partners--US 72%, Japan 7%, NZ 7%, Australia 5%, other 9%
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External debt: $NA
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 42,000 kW capacity; 85 million kWh produced,
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2,020 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: tuna canneries (largely dependent on foreign supplies
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of raw tuna)
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Agriculture: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams,
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copra, pineapples, papayas
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Economic aid: $21,042,650 million in operational funds and
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$5,948,931 million in construction funds for capital improvement projects
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from the US Department of Interior (1991)
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Currency: US currency is used
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Exchange rates: US currency is used
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Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: none
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Highways: 350 km total; 150 km paved, 200 km unpaved
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Ports: Pago Pago, Ta'u
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Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440 to 3,659 m
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(international airport at Tafuna, near Pago Pago); small airstrips on
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Ta'u and Ofu
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Telecommunications: 6,500 telephones; stations--1 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV;
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good telex, telegraph, and facsimile services; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
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earth station, 1 COMSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
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