The Eastern District is one of the primary

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

. It consists of the eastern portion of

Tutuila Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

, American Samoa's largest island, plus the island of Aunu'u. The district has a land area of 67.027 km² (25.879 sq mi) and a 2010 census population of 23,030. It contains 34 villages plus a portion of

Nu'uuli Nu'uuli is a village on the central east coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located on a peninsula several miles up from Pago Pago International Airport. Nu’uuli is located between Pago Pago International Airport and Coconut Point. I ...

village. Among these are

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...

, Fagatogo, and

Utulei Utulei or Utulei is a village in Maoputasi County, American Samoa, Maoputasi County, in the Eastern District, American Samoa, Eastern District of Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa. Utulei is traditionally considered to be a section of Fag ...

District divisions

Eastern District is further divided into counties: * Ituau County * Ma'oputasi County * Sa'Ole County * Sua County *

Vaifanua County Vaifanua County is a county in the Eastern District in American Samoa. Vaifanua and Sua counties are both ruled by the Le’iato family, one branch of which lives in Fagaitua, the principal place of Sua County. Another lives in Sa'ilele near ...

History

Already at the time of joining the union in 1900,

Tutuila Island Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

had well defined, traditional political divisions. The eastern part of Tutuila had five traditional “counties” grouped under the name “Sua ma Vaifanua.” American Samoa's first Governor, Commander

B. F. Tilley Benjamin Franklin Tilley (March 29, 1848March 18, 1907) was a career officer in the United States Navy who served from the end of the American Civil War through the Spanish–American War. He is best remembered as the first List of governors of Am ...

, named this region the “Eastern District” and one of the area's chiefs was appointed as District Governor. Under the District Governor were five traditional counties within the district. Each of the counties contained several villages, and Governor B. F. Tilley selected a leading chief from each village and appointed him to be “Pulenuu” (mayor). All these appointments were based on recommendations Tilley had received in the specific counties and villages. The western part of the island had been known as Fofō and Aitulagi, but was renamed the “Western District” by Tilley. It was the Eastern District which in 1935 brought a resolution that requested the establishment of a legislative body (

Fono The Legislative Assembly ( sm, Fono Aoao Faitulafono a Samoa), also known as the Parliament of Samoa ( sm, Palemene o Samoa), is the national legislature of Samoa, seated at Apia, where the country's central administration is situated. Samoan P ...

). The district's delegates elected

Tuiasosopo Mariota American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

to argue their case. Governor

Otto Carl Dowling Otto Carl Dowling (February 28, 1881 – April 14, 1946) was a United States Navy Captain, and the 25th Governor of American Samoa from April 17, 1934, to January 15, 1936. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1903. Dowling se ...

declined the request, claiming only the U.S. Congress had the right to establish such a legislature. High Talking Chief Tuiasosopo would become one of American Samoa's most prominent leaders in the mid-1940s. The Governor's decision was reversed by Governor

Vernon Huber Vernon Huber (August 28, 1899 – June 17, 1967) was a United States Navy rear admiral, and the 36th governor of American Samoa from April 22, 1947, to June 15, 1949. He was born in Philadelphia, Illinois, and was appointed to the United Sta ...

in 1948.

Demographics

Eastern District of Tutuila was first recorded beginning with the 1900 U.S. Census. No census was taken in 1910, but a special census was taken in 1912. Regular decennial censuses were taken beginning in 1920. Between the

2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

and the

2010 U.S. Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the Eastern District's population decreased by 1.8 percent. Some counties, however, experienced population growth. These include Sa'Ole County, which experienced the district's highest population growth at 23.7 percent.

experienced a 13.2 percent population increase, while also Ituau County experienced population growth (8.4 percent). The largest population decline took place in Maoputasi County (-11.9%), where nearly all communities experienced a population decline, including American Samoa's capital area of

and Fagatogo. Sua County also experienced population loss, although much lower at -2.8 percent.

References

American Samoa, its districts and unorganized islands; United States Census Bureau
{{coord, 14, 16, 00, S, 170, 39, 00, W, type:city_region:US-AS_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Districts of American Samoa Tutuila

District divisions

History

Demographics

See also

References