Geographic description
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Map source: Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000, base map: ESRI
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located about 3 700 km south of Hawaii. It consists of a group of seven islands in the southern Pacific Ocean: the main island of Tutuila; the Manua group, consisting of Tau, Olosega, and Ofu; Aunuu; Rose Island; and, some 320 km to the north, Swains Island. Privately owned Swains Island and uninhabited Rose Island are coral atolls while the other islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin. Total land area is 200 km2, while the largest island, Tutuila, covers an area of about 143 km2.
The islands have a wet tropical climate. Temperatures range from 21 to 32 °C and yearly rainfall averages over 5 000 mm at Pago Pago, more on the upper elevations of the volcanic islands.