the difference between Eastern and Western Samoa, a U.S. Territory vs. a Commonwealth member country

Flat Stanley is from Canada, a country that is part of the British Commonwealth, like Samoa.  Flat Hal is from Texas, part of the United States… but Texas is a State, where American Samoa is a U.S. Territory.

We decided to see if Artificial Intelligence could help us understand what the differences were for the people of Samoa and American Samoa.

Remember, whenever you ask an AI for information, it can make mistakes!  This information is a place for us to start, it is not our final answer.

With that in mind,  we asked the AI:  What are the practical differences if a person is born in Samoa vs. American Samoa?

The answer we received from Microsoft Copilot is:

Great question! Here are the practical differences between being born in Samoa (independent nation) and American Samoa (U.S. territory):

Citizenship

• Samoa: Individuals born in Samoa are citizens of Samoa and can travel with a Samoan passport.
• American Samoa: Individuals born in American Samoa are U.S. nationals, not U.S. citizens. They can travel with a U.S. passport but do not have the right to vote in U.S. federal elections unless they become U.S. citizens through naturalization.

Representation

• Samoa: Samoa is an independent nation with its own government and representation in international organizations.
• American Samoa: American Samoa is an unincorporated U.S. territory with a non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Legal and Political System

• Samoa: Samoa has its own legal and political system, separate from the U.S.
• American Samoa: American Samoa follows U.S. federal laws and regulations, but also has its own local government.

Economic Ties

• Samoa: Samoa has its own economy and trade agreements.
• American Samoa: American Samoa’s economy is closely tied to the U.S., with the U.S. dollar as its currency and significant U.S. federal funding.

Cultural Identity

• Samoa: Samoa has a strong cultural identity rooted in Polynesian traditions.
• American Samoa: American Samoa also has a rich Polynesian culture but is influenced by American culture due to its status as a U.S. territory.

 Is being a U.S. Territory similar to being a Commonwealth member country?

Since Flat Stanley has a pretty good understanding of life “back home”, and Flat Hal has a pretty good understanding of how things work in Texas, we decided to see if Artificial Intelligence could help us compare being a Commonwealth country with being a U.S. Territory.  (Remember, this information is where we start our learning and asking questions, AI can make mistakes so we do not get our final answers from it.)

The question we asked the AI is:  What is the difference between being a member of the British Commonwealth, and being an American Territory like American Samoa?

The answer from Microsoft Copilot

The main difference lies in political status and relationship with their respective “parent” nations.

American Territory

• Political Status: Unincorporated territories of the United States. They have a degree of self-governance but are ultimately overseen by the U.S. government.
• Citizenship: People born in American Samoa are U.S. nationals, not U.S. citizens, which means they can live in the U.S. but don’t have full citizenship rights unless they apply for and are granted citizenship.
• Representation: They do not have voting representation in Congress but have a non-voting delegate.
• Economy: Relies on U.S. economic support and federal funding.

British Commonwealth

• Political Status: Voluntary association of 56 independent countries, most of which were former territories of the British Empire. Each member is sovereign and self-governing.
• Citizenship: Citizens of Commonwealth countries are citizens of their respective independent nations.
• Representation: Commonwealth countries retain their own governments and have their own seats at international organizations, not under any formal control by the UK.
• Economy: While member countries may benefit from trade agreements and shared values, there is no direct economic dependency on the UK.

So, to sum it up, American territories like American Samoa have direct political and economic ties to the U.S., with limited self-governance and non-voting representation. In contrast, British Commonwealth countries are fully independent, self-governing nations that voluntarily cooperate on matters of mutual interest.

We just learned a lot about U.S. Territories as well as the British Commonwealth.

Can you list the U.S. territories?  Start with American Samoa!

Can you list the countries in the Commonwealth of Nations?  (The official name of what is referred to as the British Commonwealth). Start with Samoa.

    Sunrise the day after we left Pago Pago, American Samoa… closer to Samoa than American Samoa, but the Sunrise doesn’t seem to reflect much of a difference.