American Samoa

Consisting of five main islands and two coral atolls, American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located southeast of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) in the south Pacific Ocean. The islands were first inhabited by at least the mid-9th century (although there are recent claims of much earlier settlement), with the first Europeans arriving there in the early 18th century. The Samoans quickly gained a reputation in Europe as fierce warriors after they fought off French explorers. In the early 19th century, Western missionaries came to the islands, and in 1872, the U.S. government gained consent from a local high chief to establish a naval base in exchange for military support. In 1899, it was agreed between the Americans, British, and Germans to ...