WESTERN SAMOA
Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces
WESTERN SAMOA
@Western Samoa:Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references: Oceania
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WESTERN SAMOA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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APIA 33,000 13.48S,171.45W 685- GMT-12
Satupaitea N/A 13.44S,172.18W 685- GMT-12
Tuasivi N/A 13.38S,172.08W 685- GMT-12
Salailua N/A 13.39S,172.33W 685- GMT-12
Siumu N/A 14.00S,171.46W 685- GMT-12
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Area:
total area: 2,860 sq km
land area: 2,850 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to
October)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains
in interior
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish
Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 24%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 47%
other: 10%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: soil erosion
natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
Law of the Sea
@Western Samoa:People
Population: 209,360 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (female 41,503; male 42,844)
15-64 years: 56% (female 55,683; male 61,065)
65 years and over: 4% (female 4,323; male 3,942) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.37% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 31.74 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.88 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 35.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.38 years
male: 65.99 years
female: 70.88 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.04 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Western Samoan(s)
adjective: Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European
and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%
Religions: Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated
with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman
Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 97%
Labor force: NA
by occupation: agriculture 60%
@Western Samoa:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Independent State of Western Samoa
conventional short form: Western Samoa
Digraph: WS
Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
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 UN trusteeship administered by New
Zealand)
National holiday: National Day, 1 June (1962)
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 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)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the head of state with the prime
minister's advice
Legislative branch: unicameral
Legislative Assembly (Fono): elections last held 5 April 1991 (next to
be held by NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -
(47 total) HRPP 28, SNDP 18, independents 1
note: only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative
Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP),
TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman; Samoan National Development Party
(SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU,
SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADE
chancery: 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197
FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to
Western Samoa
embassy: 5th floor, Beach Road, Apia
mailing address: P.O. Box 3430, Apia
telephone: [685] 21631
FAX: [685] 22030
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant
bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross
constellation
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 much greater than export earnings. Tourism has become
the most important growth industry. The economy continued to falter in
1994, as remittances and tourist earnings remained low. Production of
taro, the primary food export crop, has dropped 97% since a fungal
disease struck the crop in 1993. The rapid growth in 1994 of the giant
African snail population in Western Samoa is also threatening the
country's basic food crops, such as bananas and coconuts.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $400 million (1992
est.)
National product real growth rate: -4.3% (1992 est.)
National product per capita: $2,000 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $95.3 million
expenditures: $76.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)
Exports: $6.4 million (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: coconut oil and cream, taro, copra, cocoa
partners: New Zealand 34%, American Samoa 21%, Germany 18%, Australia
11%
Imports: $11.5 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities: intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%
partners: New Zealand 37%, Australia 25%, Japan 11%, Fiji 9%
External debt: $141 million (June 1993)
Industrial production: growth rate -0.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 16%
of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 29,000 kW
production: 50 million kWh
consumption per capita: 200 kWh (1993)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for about 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including
bananas, taro, yams)
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $306 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency: 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2.4600 (January 1995), 2.5349
(1994), 2.5681 (1993), 2.4655 (1992), 2.3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Western Samoa:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 2,042 km
paved: 375 km
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 1,667 km
Ports: Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa
Merchant marine:
total: 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT
Airports:
total: 3
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 2
@Western Samoa:Communications
Telephone system: 7,500 telephones
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
radios: 70,000
Television:
broadcast stations: 0
televisions: NA
@Western Samoa:Defense Forces
Branches: no regular armed services; Western Samoa Police Force
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
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