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- Economy
-
- Overview: Economic development is strongly linked to the
- US, with which American Samoa does 90% of its foreign trade.
- Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone
- of the private sector economy, with canned tuna the primary
- export. The tuna canneries are the second-largest employer,
- exceeded only by the government. Other economic activities
- include meat canning, handicrafts, dairy farming, and a
- slowly developing tourist industry. Tropical agricultural
- production provides little surplus for export.
-
- GNP: $190 million, per capita $5,210; real growth rate NA%
- (1985).
-
- Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1989).
-
- Unemployment rate: 13.4% (1986).
-
- Budget: revenues $90.3 million; expenditures $93.15 million,
- including capital expenditures of $4.9 million (1988).
-
- Exports: $288 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--canned
- tuna 93%; partners--US 99.6%.
-
- Imports: $346 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities--building
- materials 18%, food 17%, petroleum products 14%; partners--US
- 72%, Japan 7%, NZ 7%, Australia 5%, other 9%.
-
- External debt: $NA.
-
- Industrial production: growth rate NA%.
-
- Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced,
- 1,720 kWh per capita (1989).
-
- Industries: tuna canneries (largely dependent on foreign
- supplies of raw tuna).
-
- Agriculture: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit,
- yams, copra, pineapples, papayas.
-
- Aid: $20.1 million in operational funds and $5.8 million
- in construction funds for capital improvement projects from
- the US Department of Interior (1989).
-
- Currency: US currency is used.
-
- Exchange rates: US currency is used.
-
- Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September.
-