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.

Geographic coordinates: 13 35 S 172 20 W

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 2,944 km²
Land: 2,934 km²
Water: 10 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 403 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 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
Extremes highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m

Natural resources: hardwood forests fish hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 21.13%
Permanent crops: 24.3%
Other: 54.57% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Geography
Note: occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

Population
Note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 1.291% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Samoan
Adjective: Samoan

Ethnic groups: Samoan 92.6% Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood) Europeans 0.4%

Languages: Samoan (Polynesian) English

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% Worship Centre 1.3% other Christian 4.5% other 1.9% unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 41,551/female 40,085)
15-64 years: 56.3% (male 63,320/female 57,277)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,416/female 6,616) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.4 years
Male: 20.7 years
Female: 20.2 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.291% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 28.28 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 5.88 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: -9.49 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

Environment
Current issues: soil erosion deforestation invasive species overfishing
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.037 male/female
15-64 years: 1.106 male/female
65 years and over: 0.819 male/female
Total population: 1.061 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 25.89 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 30.54 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 21 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.3 years
Male: 68.49 years
Female: 74.26 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.21 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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
Local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa
Local short form: Samoa
Former: Western Samoa

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Apia
Geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 44 W
Time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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; it is observed in 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

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007)
Head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); 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: chief of state is elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); 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
Election results: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly

Legislative branch
Elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be held not later than March 2011)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court

Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]; Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA]

International organization participation: ACP AsDB C FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IOC IPU ITU ITUC MIGA OPCW PIF Sparteca SPC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
In the us chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 599-6,196, 6,197
In the us fax: [1] (212) 599-0797
From the us chief of mission: none; US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa
From the us embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Beach Road, Apia
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 3,430, Apia, 0815
From the us telephone: [685] 21,436/21,452/21,631/22,696
From the us fax: [685] 22,030

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 fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector accounting for 25% of GDP; about 100,000 tourists visited the islands in 2005. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector encouragement of investment and continued fiscal discipline while at the same time 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $1.218 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $2,100 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.4%
Industry: 58.4%
Services: 30.2% (2004 est.)

Agriculture products: coconuts bananas taro yams coffee cocoa

Industries: food processing building materials auto parts

Industrial production growth rate: 2.8% (2000)

Labor force: 90,000 (2000 est.)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $171.3 million
Expenditures: $78.1 million (FY04/05 est.)

Fiscal year: June 1 - May 31

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.3% (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $-2.428 million (FY03/04)

Exports: $94 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: fish coconut oil and cream copra taro automotive parts garments beer
Partners: Australia 44% American Samoa 29.9% Taiwan 11.2% (2006)

Imports: $285 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment industrial supplies foodstuffs
Partners: NZ 21.5% Fiji 14.8% Singapore 13.2% Australia 8.6% Japan 8.6% US 6.2% Indonesia 5% China 4.4% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $70.15 million (FY03/04)

Debt external: $177 million (2004)

Exchange rates: tala per US dollar - 2.7594 (2006) 2.7103 (2005) 2.7807 (2004) 2.9732 (2003) 3.3763 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 105 million kWh (2005)
Consumption: 97.65 million kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2005 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 19,500 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 24,000 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .ws
Hosts: 10,156 (2007)
Users: 8,000 (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: NA

Airports: 4 (2007)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways
Total: 2,337 km
Paved: 332 km
Unpaved: 2,005 km (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT
By type: cargo 1
Foreign owned: 1 (Cyprus 1) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Apia

Disputes international: none