1987 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1987 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Administrative divisions
11] districts
Branches
Head of State and Executive Council; unicameral legislature (47-member Legislative Assembly), Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Land and Titles Court, village courts
Capital
Apia
Climate
tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season May to October)
Coastline
403 km
Communists
unknown
Comparative area
about the size of Rhode Island
Elections
held triennially; last held in February 1982 Political parties and Jeaders: no clearly defined structure
Environment
subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism Special] notes: none
Extended economic zone
200 nm
Government leaders
MALIETOA Tanumafili [1, Head of State (since 1962); Va’ai KOLONE, Prime Minister (since December 1985)
Land use
19% arable land; 24% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 10% other
Legal system
based on English common Jaw and local customs; constitution came into effect upon independence in 1962; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, South Pacific Commission, SPF, UN, UNESCO, WHO . Western Samoa (continued)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 January
Suffrage
45 members of Legislative Assembly are elected by holders of matai (heads of family) titles (about 12,000 persons); two members are elected by universal adult suffrage of persons lacking traditional family ties
Terrain
narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
- 50 km South Pacific Ocean ag APIA Manono South Pacific Ocean
- 2,860 km?; land area: 2,850 km?
Type
constitutional monarchy under native chief
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
Samoan; about 12,000 Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood), 700 Europeans
Infant mortality rate
36/1,000 (1983)
Labor force
about 37,000 (1983); about 22,000 employed in agriculture
Language
Samoan (Polynesian), English
Life expectancy
63
Literacy
90%
Nationality
noun—Western Samoan(s); adjective—Western Samoa
Population
175,084 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.20%
Religion
99.7% Christian (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Government
Official name
Independent State of
Economy
Agriculture
cocoa, bananas, copra; staple foods include coconuts, bananas, taro, yams
Aid
US (FY70-85), $13 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-84), $195 million
Budget
(1982 est.) revenues, $36.9 million; expenditures, $37.6 million; development expenditure, $34.9 million
Electric power
62,000 kW capacity; 79 million kWh produced, 480 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$16 million (f.0.b., 1985); copra 43.3%, cocoa 32.3%, timber 2.0%, mineral fuel, bananas
GDP
$86.8 million, $532 per capita (1985)
Imports
$63 million (c.i.f., 1985); food 30%, manufactured goods 25%, machinery
Major industries
timber, tourism, light industry
Major trade partners
exports—31% FRG, 26% New Zealand, 12% US, 2% Australia; imports—30% US, 28% New Zealand, 10% Australia, 6% UK (1981)
Monetary conversion rate
2.256 WS tala=US$1 (November 1986)
Natural resources
hardwood forests, fish
Communications
Airfields
4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with 2,440-8,659 m
Civil air
8 major transport aircraft
Highways
2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Inland waterways
none
Ports
1 principal (Apia), 1 minor
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
7,500 telephones (4.5 per 100 popl.); 70,000 radio receivers; 1 AM station; 1 satellite station
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 45,000; 23,000 fit for military service