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.

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand

13 35 S, 172 20 W

Oceania

total: 2,831 sq km
country comparison to the world: 178
land: 2,821 sq km
water: 10 sq km

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

0 km

403 km

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)

two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Silisili 1,857 m

hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

arable land: 2.82%
permanent crops: 7.75%
other: 89.44% (2011)

NA

occasional typhoons; active volcanism
volcanism: Savai'I Island (elev. 1,858 m), which last erupted in 1911, is historically active

soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

noun: Samoan(s)
adjective: Samoan

Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) 7%, Europeans 0.4% (2001 census)

Samoan (Polynesian) (official), English

Protestant 59.9% (Congregationalist 34.8%, Methodist 15%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%), Roman Catholic 19.6%, Mormon 12.7%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

195,476 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
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

0-14 years: 34% (male 34,291/female 32,170)
15-24 years: 20.1% (male 20,150/female 19,129)
25-54 years: 34.9% (male 35,391/female 32,746)
55-64 years: 5.7% (male 5,637/female 5,489)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 4,583/female 5,890) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 75.1 %
youth dependency ratio: 66.1 %
elderly dependency ratio: 9 %
potential support ratio: 11.1 (2013)

total: 22.7 years
male: 22.5 years
female: 22.9 years (2013 est.)

0.59% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

21.7 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77

5.33 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179

-10.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 212

urban population: 20% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

APIA (capital) 36,000 (2009)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

23.6
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2009 est.)

100 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 70

total: 20.95 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 88
male: 24.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 72.94 years
country comparison to the world: 129
male: 70.06 years
female: 75.97 years (2013 est.)

3.03 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58

28.7% (2009)

7% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 84

0.48 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

1 beds/1,000 population (2005)

NA

NA

NA

54.1% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 6

5.8% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 45

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99%
female: 98.6% (2003 est.)

total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2005)

total: 16.1%
country comparison to the world: 81
male: 13.8%
female: 22.2% (2011)

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

parliamentary democracy

name: Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 49 S, 171 46 W
time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)

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

several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962; amended several times, last in 2013 (2013)

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

21 years of age; universal

chief of state: TUI ATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister TUILA'EPA Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi (since 1998); Deputy Prime Minister FONOTOE Pierre Lauofo (since 2011)
cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice

elections: chief of state elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 20 July 2012 (next to be held in 2017); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly
election results: TUI ATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats, 47 members 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 on 4 March 2011 (next election to be held not later than March 2016)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 29, Tautua Samoa 13, independents 7

highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and 2 Supreme Court judges and meets once or twice a year); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several judges)
judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the head of state upon the advice of the prime minister; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general and an appointee of the Minister of Justice; judges normally appointed until retirement at age 68
subordinate courts: District Court; Magistrates' Courts; Land and Titles Courts; village fono or village chief councils

Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]

NA

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA (since 4 December 2003)
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400J, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196 through 6197
FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797
consulate(s) general: Pago Pago (American Samoa)

chief of mission: the US does not have an embassy in Samoa; the US Ambassador to New Zealand, currently Ambassador David HUEBNER, is accredited to Samoa
embassy: Accident Corporation Building, 5th Floor, Matafele, Apia
mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Matafele, Apia
telephone: [685] 21436/21631/21452/22696
FAX: [685] 22030

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation; red stands for courage, blue represents freedom, and white signifies purity

Southern Cross constellation (five, five-pointed stars)

name: "O le Fu'a o le Sa'olotoga o Samoa" (The Banner of Freedom)
lyrics/music: Sauni Liga KURESA
note: adopted 1962; the anthem is also known as "Samoa Tula'i" (Samoa Arise)

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 roughly 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. 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; 122,000 tourists visited the islands in 2007. In late September 2009, an earthquake and the resulting tsunami severely damaged Samoa, and nearby American Samoa, disrupting transportation and power generation, and resulting in about 200 deaths. In December 2012, extensive flooding and wind damage from Tropical Cyclone Evan killed four people, displaced over 6,000, and damaged or destroyed an estimated 1,500 homes in Samoa's Upolu island. 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.

$1.129 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$680.7 million (2012 est.)

3.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105

$6,200 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

agriculture: 9.8%
industry: 27.1%
services: 63.2% (2012 est.)

coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

food processing, building materials, auto parts

3.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83

47,930 (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193

agriculture: 65%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

NA%

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

revenues: $233.4 million
expenditures: $263.9 million (2012 est.)

34.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70

-4.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155

June 1 - May 31

2.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47

9.86% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89

$97.71 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183

$327.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185

$312.1 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172

$NA

$-76.11 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72

$11.4 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211

fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer

American Samoa 48.4%, Australia 24% (2012)

$318.7 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197

machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

NZ 19.2%, Singapore 18.6%, Fiji 17.6%, China 15.8%, Australia 5.9%, US 5.4% (2012)

$168.7 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

$368.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179

tala (SAT) per US dollar -

120.2 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195

111.8 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150

41,100 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193

70.6% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205

29.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80

0.2% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143

0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 205

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

1,070 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144

1,149 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80

0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 207

146,600 Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203

35,300 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 173

167,400 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 183

general assessment: adequate
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 100 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2007)

state-owned TV station privatized in 2008; 4 privately-owned television broadcast stations; about a half dozen privately owned radio stations and one state-owned radio station; TV and radio broadcasts of several stations from American Samoa are available (2009)

.ws

18,013 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 120

9,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 202

4 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 187

total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2013)

total: 3
under 914 m:

total: 2,337 km
country comparison to the world: 172
paved: 332 km
unpaved: 2,005 km (2001)

total: 2
country comparison to the world: 146
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1
foreign-owned: 1 (NZ 1) (2010)

major seaport(s): Apia

no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2008)

males age 16-49: 47,906 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 38,260
females age 16-49: 38,032 (2010 est.)

male: 2,221
female: 2,062 (2010 est.)

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