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American Samoa Government

What is the capital of American Samoa?

Country Name American Samoa
Full Country Name Territory of American Samoa
Abbreviation AS
Etymology- history of name The name Samoa is composed of two parts, "sa" meaning "sacred" and "moa" meaning "center," so the name can mean Holy Center; alternatively, it can mean "place of the sacred moa bird" of Polynesian mythology
Government Type Presidential democracy; a self-governing territory of the US
Capital Name Pago Pago
Capital - geographic coordinate 14 16 S, 170 42 W
Capital Time Difference UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Independence None (territory of the US)
National Holiday Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
Constitution Adopted 17 October 1960; revised 1 July 1967; amended several times, last in 2013
Dependency Status Unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

American Samoa Capital City Map

Source: Google Maps

American Samoa Government and Politics

Who is the president of American Samoa?

Executive Branch: Chief of State: President Joseph R BIDEN Jr. (since 20 January 2021); Vice President Kamala HARRIS (since 20 January 2021); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

Head of Government: President Joseph R Biden (since 20 January 2021); Vice President Kamala HARRIS (since 20 January 2021)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, approved by the Senate

Elections/Appointments: president and vice president are indirectly elected on the same ballot by the Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state; the president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); the election was last held on 8 November 2020

Election Results: Joseph R BIDEN (Democrat) elected president; electoral vote - 306, Donald J. TRUMP (Republican Party) 232
Citizenship Criteria: See United States
Legal System: Mixed legal system of US common law and customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch: Description: bicameral Legislature or Fono consists of:

Senate (18 seats; members indirectly selected by regional governing councils to serve 4-year terms)

House of Representatives (21 seats; 20 members directly elected by simple majority vote and 1 decided by a public meeting on Swains Island; members serve 2-year terms)

Elections:

Senate - last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held in November 2020)

House of Representatives - last held on 6 November 2018 (next to be held in November 2020)

Election Results:

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 18; composition - men 17, women 1, percent of women 9.5%

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 14, women 7, percent of women 33.3%; note - total percentage of women in Legislature 20.5%

Note: American Samoa elects 1 member by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term as a delegate to the US House of Representatives; the delegate can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote; election of delegate last held on 6 November 2018 (next to be held in November 2020)
Judicial Branch: Highest Court(s): High Court of American Samoa (consists of the chief justice, associate chief justice, and 6 Samoan associate judges and organized into trial, family, drug, and appellate divisions); note - American Samoa has no US federal courts

Judge Selection and Term of Office: Chief justice and associate chief justice appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior to serve for life; Samoan associate judges appointed by the governor to serve for life

Subordinate Courts: district and village courts
Regions or States: None (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 districts and 2 islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western
Political Parties and Leaders: Democratic Party [Fagafaga Daniel LANGKILDE]

Republican Party [Utu Abe MALAE, chairman]
International Organization Participation: AOSIS (observer), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, PIF (observer), SPC
Diplomatic Representation in the US: None (territory of the US)
Diplomatic Representation from US: None (territory of the US)
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