Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year. American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa). The main (largest and most populous) island is Tutuila with the Manu''a Islands, Rose Atoll and Swains Island also included in the territory. American Samoa is part of the Samoan Islands chain, located west of the Cook Island north of Tonga and some 300 miles (500 km) south of Tokelau.

Population - 2011: 67,242

Legal system: Under US administration.