Map of Western Samoa | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 403 km

Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone:200 nm; Territorial sea:12 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)

Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Elevation

Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish

Land use: arable land: 19%; permanent crops: 24%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 47%; other 10%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand Western Samoa Western Samoa Western Samoa


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Population: 190,346 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)

Nationality: noun--Western Samoan(s); adjective--Western Samoan

Ethnic groups: Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) about 7%, Europeans 0.4%

Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English

Religions: Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 34 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 47 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can read and write (1971)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Independent State of Western Samoa

Government type: constitutional monarchy under native chief

Capital: Apia

Administrative divisions: 11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea, Tuamasaga, Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)

National holiday: National Day, 1 June

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal adult at age NA, but only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly

Executive branch: Chief of State--Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of State from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April 1963); Head of Government--Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April 1988)

Legislative branch: Department of Police and Prisons

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN, 820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10,017 (212) 599-6,196; US--the ambassador to New Zealand, Della Newman, is accredited to Western Samoa (mailing address is P.O. Box 3,430, Apia); telephone (685) 21-631

Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation Western Samoa Western SamoaWestern Samoa

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports about five times export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and construction of the first international hotel is under way.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)

Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: - 4.3% (1990 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP

Labor force: 38,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1987 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $70 million; expenditures $73 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (1990)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year Western Samoa Western Samoa Western Samoa

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $9.4 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodities: coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%, cocoa 3%
Partners: NZ 28%, EC 23%, American Samoa 23%, Australia 11%, US 6% (1990)

Imports: $87 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
Commodities: intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%
Partners: New Zealand 31%, Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%, US 5%, EC 4% (1987)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $83 million (December 1990 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1--2.3170 (January 1991), 2.3095 (1990), 2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986), 2.2437 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 29,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $N/A, NA% of GDP Western Samoa Western Samoa Western Samoa

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930 GRT/34,135 DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs