American Samoa, a U.S. territory, is located in the South Pacific Ocean, 60 miles east of the Independent State of Samoa.
About 93 percent of the population is Pacific Islander, almost 4 percent is Asian, and about 4 percent is from other groups or of mixed heritage. Nearly the entire population of American Samoa lives on Tutuila Island. Historically, the people were spread among small villages, but in recent decades there has been an increased concentration of people living in the capital city of Pago Pago, the village of Tafuna, or the western village of Leone.
Samoan is the traditional language of American Samoa. English, considered the territory’s second language, is used in business and for school instruction. American Samoans are proud of their language and generally prefer to speak it instead of English. Nearly the entire population is bilingual.