|
|
|
|
Background:
|
New
Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western
Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It
continued to administer the islands as a mandate and
then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands
became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish
independence in the 20th century. The country dropped
the "Western" from its name in 1997. |
|
Location:
|
Oceania,
group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
13 35 S,
172 20 W |
|
Map references:
|
Oceania
|
|
Area:
|
total:
2,944 sq km
land: 2,934 sq km
water: 10 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly
smaller than Rhode Island |
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km |
|
Coastline:
|
403 km
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
Climate:
|
tropical;
rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to
October) |
|
Terrain:
|
two main
islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and
uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic,
rocky, rugged mountains in interior |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m
|
|
Natural resources:
|
hardwood
forests, fish, hydropower |
|
Land use:
|
arable
land: 21.2%
permanent crops: 24.38%
other: 54.42% (2001) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
NA |
|
Natural hazards:
|
occasional typhoons; active volcanism |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
soil
erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing
|
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
|
Geography - note:
|
occupies
an almost central position within Polynesia |
|
Population:
|
177,287
(July 2005 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14
years: 27.2% (male 24,517/female 23,660)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 73,495/female 44,208)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 5,204/female 6,203)
(2005 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
24.59 years
male: 27.42 years
female: 21.42 years (2005 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
-0.23%
(2005 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
15.95
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
6.54
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-11.73
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.66 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
27.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 70.72 years
male: 67.93 years
female: 73.65 years (2005 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.01
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
NA |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
12 |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
3 |
|
Nationality:
|
noun:
Samoan(s)
adjective: Samoan |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Samoan
92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and
Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4% |
|
Religions:
|
Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist
15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, other Christian 4.5%,
Worship Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2001
census) |
|
Languages:
|
Samoan
(Polynesian), English |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.7% (2003 est.) |
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa
conventional short form: Samoa
former: Western Samoa |
|
Government type:
|
mix of
parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy |
|
Capital:
|
Apia |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
11
districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga,
Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea,
Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano |
|
Independence:
|
1 January
1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1
January 1962 is the date of independence from the New
Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the
date that independence is celebrated |
|
Constitution:
|
1 January
1962 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on
English common law and local customs; judicial review of
legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of
the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage:
|
21 years
of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief
of state: Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA (cochief of
state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of
state 5 April 1963)
head of government: Prime Minister Sailele
Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); note - TUILA'EPA
served as deputy prime minister from 1992 and assumed
the duties of acting prime minister in 1996, when former
Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor
health; TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister
(November 1998) after TOFILAU died; Deputy Prime
Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members,
appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's
advice
elections: upon the death of Chief Tanumafili II
MALIETOA, a new chief of state will be elected by the
Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term;
following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party is usually appointed prime minister by
the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative
Assembly |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47
elected by voters affiliated with traditional
village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by
independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters
who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village
affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election
to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: election last held 3 March 2001 (next
election to be held not later than March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - HRPP 30, SNDP 13, independents 6 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Court of
Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles
Court |
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
Christian
Democratic Party [leader NA]; Human Rights Protection
Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA, chairman];
Samoan Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati,
chairman] (opposition) |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
NA |
|
International organization participation:
|
ACP,
AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO (observer) |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief
of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New
York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197
FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
chief
of mission: US Ambassador to New Zealand is
accredited to Samoa
embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB)
Building, 5th Floor, Apia
mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia
telephone: [685] 21631/22696
FAX: [685] 22030 |
|
Flag description:
|
red with
a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant
bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the
Southern Cross constellation |
|
Economy - overview:
|
The
economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on
development aid, family remittances from overseas,
agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to
devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of
the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring
coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing
sector mainly processes agricultural products. The
decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing
problem. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for
25% of GDP; about 88,000 tourists visited the islands in
2001. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs
3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for
an assembly plant in Australia. The Samoan Government
has called for deregulation of the financial sector,
encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal
discipline, meantime protecting the environment.
Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market
as a basic strength for future economic advances.
Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the
external debt is stable, and inflation is low. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$1
billion (2002 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
5% (2002
est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 14%
industry: 23%
services: 63% (2001 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
90,000
(2000 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
NA |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
NA; note
- substantial underemployment |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
4% (2001
est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $105 million
expenditures: $119 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (2001-02) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
coconuts,
bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa |
|
Industries:
|
food
processing, building materials, auto parts |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
2.8%
(2000) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
122
million kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 58%
hydro: 42%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
113.5
million kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
1,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA |
|
Exports:
|
$14
million f.o.b. (2002) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
fish,
coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts,
garments, beer |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Australia
67.2%, US 5.7%, Indonesia 5.3% (2004) |
|
Imports:
|
$113
million f.o.b. (2002) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery
and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs |
|
Imports - partners:
|
New
Zealand 25.1%, Fiji 21.5%, Taiwan 9.1%, Australia 8.9%,
Singapore 8.5%, Japan 7.5%, US 4.7% (2004) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$197
million (2000) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$42.9
million (1995) |
|
Currency (code):
|
tala
(SAT) |
|
Currency code:
|
SAT
(former WST code is still in wide use) |
|
Exchange rates:
|
tala per
US dollar - 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002),
3.478 (2001), 3.2864 (2000) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
June 1 -
May 31 |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
11,800
(2002) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
2,700
(2002) |
|
Telephone system:
|
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 685; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 2, FM
5, shortwave 0 (2004) |
|
Radios:
|
174,849
(1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
2 (2002)
|
|
Televisions:
|
8,634
(1999) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.ws |
|
Internet hosts:
|
8,225
(2003) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
2 (2000)
|
|
Internet users:
|
4,000
(2002) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
790 km
paved: 332 km
unpaved: 458 km (1999 est.) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Apia |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT
by type: cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
4 (2004
est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
no
regular armed services; Samoa Police Force |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
NA |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
NA |
|
Military - note:
|
Samoa has
no formal defense structure or regular armed forces;
informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required
to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the
1962 Treaty of Friendship |
|
Disputes - international:
|
none |
|
This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
|
|
| |
|
|
