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AMERICAN SAMOA 
Insular Area Summary for American SamoaHistory & Political Status
Authority was transferred to the Department of the Interior (DOI) in 1956 where it resides. Even without an organic act or other explicit Congressional directive on governance, the people of American Samoa adopted their own constitution in 1967 and first constitutional elections were in 1977. Unlike citizens of other U.S. territories who are U.S. citizens, American Samoans are U.S. nationals. However, neither citizens nor nationals of U.S. territories vote in Federal elections and pay Federal taxes. American Samoa came under Federal minimum wage rules in 2007 and controls its own immigration and border matters. Elected LeadersGovernor: Togiola T.A. Tulafono Distances from placesWashington DC: 7,050 miles Population & DemographyTotal population: 68,200 Economy & Income SourcesEstimated GDP: $483.1 million Labor Force & EmploymentTotal payroll employment (2007): 17,047 Government FinancesTotal gov’t. revenues: $172.0 million (FY 07) OIA ContactsLydia Faleafine-Nomura Marina Tinitali Historical Overview and Travel RequirementsHistory & Political Status
GovernmentThe American Samoa Constitution provides for an elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected for four years. Up until 1951, the Governor of American Samoa was appointed by the U.S. Department of the Navy. In 1956, the Secretary of the Interior appointed the first native Samoan Governor, the Honorable Peter Tali Coleman. In 1977 American Samoa, for the first time, elected their own governor and lieutenant governor by popular vote. The current Governor of American Samoa elected in November 1996 is the Honorable Tauese P. Sunia. (Note: On March 26, 2003, Lieutenant Governor Togiola Tulafono assumed the Governor's seat with the passing of Governor Tauese Tuailemafua Pita Fiti Sunia.) The bicameral legislature of American Samoa, known as the Fono, is comprised of a Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate consists of 18 members who are chosen according to Samoan custom in each of the 14 political counties. Senators hold office for a four-year term, and representatives, for a two-year term. The House of Representatives consists of 20 members who are elected by popular vote. Swains Island has one non-voting member who is elected in an open meeting of the island residents. The legislature convenes for 45-day sessions twice yearly. The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices, who head the High Court of American Samoa, are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior from recommendations of the local Governor. The judiciary also consists of district and village courts. The judges for these courts are appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The United States civil and criminal cases, augmented by such local laws and regulations as enacted by Samoa legislature, constitute the body of law adjudicated in the courts. The current Chief Justice is Michael Kruse, the first native Samoan to be appointed to the position. Unlike other U.S. territories, American Samoa does not have a Federal district court. The Member of Congress from American Samoa (currently the Honorable Eni F.H. Faleomavaega), possesses in the standing Committees of the House, the same powers and privileges as Representatives from the several States, with the exception of voting on the House floor. The first delegate to the House of Representatives was Fofo I. F. Sunia, elected in November 1979. Land OwnershipAbout 90 percent of the land is communally owned by aiga. The existing tenure law on communal lands prohibits alienation of any real property except freehold land to any person whose blood is less that one-half Samoan. Unless the Governor approves the transfer in writing, it is unlawful for any matai of a Samoan family to alienate any family lands to any person or lease it for any term more than 55 years. ASG estimates that 1.5625 square miles of American Samoa's total area of 76.1 square miles are freehold land. Travel RequirementsThe Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Justice does not exercise jurisdiction in American Samoa. No one may enter American Samoa unless he or she complies with certain entry requirements of the American Samoa Government. To enter the territory, a U.S. citizen or national must have in his or her possession: (1) a valid U.S. passport or certified birth certificate demonstrating his or her U.S. nationality and (2) a ticket for onward passage out of American Samoa or proof of employment in American Samoa.The requirements for an alien's entry into American Samoa mirror those for a U.S. citizen or national. In addition to a ticket for onward passage out of American Samoa, an alien must have in his or her possession a valid passport containing a photograph or fingerprint of the holder and authorizing him or her (1) to return to the country from where he or she came or (2) to enter some other country.Whether a U.S. citizen or national or an alien, once lawfully admitted, a tourist or business person may stay in American Samoa for up to thirty days. With the approval of the Attorney General of American Samoa, a tourist or business person may stay in American Samoa for thirty days beyond the initial thirty-day period. At the present time, the American Samoa Government does not require any vaccinations for entry into the territory. |
American Samoa became a U.S. territory by deed of cession, starting in 1900. The matai (local chiefs) of Tutuila, the largest island in American Samoa, ceded the island to the United States in 1900. Manu’a followed in 1904. Swain Island joined the territory in 1925 by an act of the Congress. Authority over American Samoa was initially placed with the U.S. Navy which oversaw the territory until 1951.
By the Treaty of Berlin of 1899, the United Kingdom and
Germany renounced in favor of the United States all their rights and claims over
the eastern islands of Samoa. This treaty went into effect on February 16, 1900.
On April 17, 1900, the matai (chiefs) of Tutuila formally ceded the islands of
Tutuila and Aunu'u to the United States. On July 16, 1904, the king and matai
of Manu'a ceded the islands of Ta'u, Ofu, Olosega, and Rose Atoll to the United
States. Congress formally ratified the 1900 and 1904 deeds of cession retroactively
in 1929. Swains Island became part of American Samoa by joint resolution of Congress
in 1925. 
American Samoa, an unincorporated and unorganized territory
of the United States, is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
It is "unincorporated" because not all provisions of the U.S. Constitution apply
to the territory. The Congress has not provided the territory with an organic
act, which organizes the government much like a constitution would. Instead,
the Congress gave plenary authority over the territory to the Secretary of the
Interior, who in turn allowed American Samoans to draft their own constitution
under which their government functions. 