American Samoa, located within the geographical region of Oceania, is one of only two possessions of the United States in the Southern Hemisphere, the other being Jarvis Island. Its total land area is 76.8 square miles (199 km2)—slightly larger than Washington, D.C.—consisting of five rugged, volcanic islands and two coral atolls. The five volcanic islands islands are: Tutuila, Aunu'u, Ofu, Olosega, Tau. The coral atolls are: Swains, and Rose Atoll. Of the seven islands, Rose Atoll is an uninhabited Marine National Monument.
Due to its positioning in the South Pacific Ocean, it is frequently hit by typhoons between December and March. Rose Atoll is the easternmost point of the territory. American Samoa is the southernmost part of the United States. American Samoa is home to the National Park of American Samoa.
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| Continent | Oceania | |
| Subregion | Oceania | |
| Geographic coordinates | 14°20′S 170°00′W / 14.333°S 170°W / -14.333; -170 | |
| Area - Total - Water |
Ranked 212th 199 km² 0 km² |
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| Coastline | 116 km | |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | |
| Countries bordered | none | |
| Maritime claims | 200 nmi (370.4 km) | |
| Highest point | Lata Mountain, 964 m | |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean, 0 m | |
| Longest river | ||
| Largest inland body of water | ||
| Land Use - Arable land - Permanent |
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| Irrigated Land: | n/a | |
| Climate: | tropical marine, little seasonal temperature variation | |
| Terrain: | volcano, limited coastal plains, two coral atolls | |
| Natural resources | pumice, pumicite | |
| Natural hazards | typhoons from December to March | |
| Environmental issues | limited fresh water | |
Famous quotes containing the words geography of, geography and/or american:
“Where the heart is, there the muses, there the gods sojourn, and not in any geography of fame. Massachusetts, Connecticut River, and Boston Bay, you think paltry places, and the ear loves names of foreign and classic topography. But here we are; and, if we tarry a little, we may come to learn that here is best. See to it, only, that thyself is here;—and art and nature, hope and fate, friends, angels, and the Supreme Being, shall not absent from the chamber where thou sittest.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Ktaadn, near which we were to pass the next day, is said to mean “Highest Land.” So much geography is there in their names.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It is as often a weakness in the aged to dictate to the young, as it is folly in the young to slight the warnings of the aged.”
—H., U.S. women’s magazine contributor. American Ladies Magazine, pp. 230-3 (May 1828)