Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was not reached by European explorers until 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.
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
Area Comparative
Slightly larger than Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate
Tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature variation
Natural Hazards
cyclones common from December to March
volcanism: limited volcanic activity on the Ofu and Olosega Islands; neither has erupted since the 19th century
Environment Current Issues
Limited supply of drinking water; pollution; waste disposal; coastal and stream alteration; soil erosion
Geography Note
Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean
