1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Administrative divisions
1 1 districts
Aid
previously received small amounts from Spain; Morocco is now the major source of support
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 leaders: no clearly defined structure
Environment
subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Ethnic divisions
Samoan; about 12,000 Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood), 700 Europeans
Extended economic zone
200 nm
Government leaders
MALIETOA Tanumafili II, Head of State (since 1962); Va'ai KOLONE, Prime Minister (since December 1985)
Infant mortality rate
36/1,000 (1983)
Labor force
about 37,000 (1983); about 22,000 employed in agriculture
Land use
19% arable land; 24% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 10% other
Language
Samoan (Polynesian), English
Legal system
based on English common law 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
Life expectancy
63
Literacy
90%
Major trade partners
Morocco claims administrative control over Western Sahara and controls all trade with the country; Western Sahara trade figures are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Member of
ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, South Pacific Commission, SPF, UN, UNESCO, WHO
Monetary conversion rate
uses Moroccan dirham; 10.06 dirham=US$l (1984)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 January
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)
Special notes
none
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
2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2
Type
constitutional monarchy under native chief
Government
Official name
Independent State of
Communications
Airfields
16 total, 15 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways, 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Highways
6,100 km total; 1,350 km surfaced, 4,750 km improved and unimproved earth roads and tracks
Ports
2 secondary (El Aaiiin, Ad Dakhla)
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
1 AM, 0 FM, and 1 TV stations South Pacific Ocean South Pacific Ocean