American Somoa

Territory of American Samoa

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Halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand in the south Pacific lie the islands of American Samoa. Consisting of five volcanic islands and two atolls the land mass is about 200 sq km (77 sq miles). The islands were believed to have been settled by Polynesian peoples around 800 B.C. The first Europeans to the islands are thought to have been the Dutch who arrived in about 1722. By the 1830s British missionaries were active in the region. In 1872 the United States won exclusive rights from the High Chief to use Pago Pago as a strategic base for the American fleet. The harbor of Pago Pago, the capitol, is one of the best deepwater harbors in the South Pacific sheltered from high winds and rough seas by the surrounding mountains. Much of the economy of American Samoa is based upon tuna fishing, processing and export and heavy subsidies from the USA, with whom about 90% of the trade occurs. The population is roughly 66,500. The religious affiliation of American Samoans is unknown. However, there are at least three a cappella Churches of Christ in American Samoa: one in the Village of Leone, established in 1982 with an attendance of 40; one in the Village of Nu’uuli, established in 1964 with an attendance of 60; and one in Tafuna established in 1994 with an attendance of 55.

Clinton J. Holloway
National Profiles Editor
January 2004

For further historical reference:
Churches of Christ Around the World, Mac Lynn, 21st Century Christian Publications, Nashville, TN, 2003.

Contact Information

Churches of Christ Around the World, Mac Lynn, 21st Century Christian Publications, Nashville, TN, 2003.

Lynn Ashley with the Tafuna church
Email: ASHLEY@samoatelco.com