What's an unincorporated territory??

Today was my last day of work, and I have roughly 3 weeks to devote to preparing for life in American Samoa! Number one: practice speaking Samoan! Number two: go to the dentist!

I also thought I'd share with you a bit more about American Samoa. First off, I'm not going to Somalia (that's a country in Africa), but a small island in the South Pacific that is an unincorporated territory of the United States. An unicorporated territory means that it is owned by the United States, but is self-governing.  People born there are American nationals (not U.S. citizens), and they cannot vote, but they do have a representative in Congress. American Samoa is a different place than Samoa, its western neighbor, which is an independant nation.

Here are some quick facts about American Samoa

• People are bilingual, speaking both Samoan and English.
• The capital city is Pago Pago (which is pronounced Pahngo Pahngo) and is located on the main island of Tutuila
• The total population is about 63,500
• The total land area is 197 sq. miles
• American Samoa is the southern most territory of the United States
• Canned tuna is the main export (though some may say the main exports are football players)
• The Samoan alphabet consists of five vowels and nine consonants
• The climate is tropical; hot, humid, and often rainy!

beach near Pago Pago