1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season
Coastline
403 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Environment
subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
none
Land use
19% arable land; 24% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 10% other
Natural resources
hardwood forests, fish
Note
located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
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
People and Society
Birth rate
34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
Samoan; about 7% Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood), 0.4% Europeans
Infant mortality rate
48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
37,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1983 est.)
Language
Samoan (Polynesian), English
Life expectancy at birth
64 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Literacy
90%
Nationality
noun--Western Samoan(s); adjective--Western Samoan
Net migration rate
- 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
Public Service Association (PSA)
Population
186,031 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
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)
Total fertility rate
4.6 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea, Tuamasaga, Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Capital
Apia
Constitution
1 January 1962
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN, 820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-6196; US--the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Western Samoa
Elections
Legislative Assembly--last held 26 February 1988 (next to be held by February 1991); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(47 total) HRPP 25, SNDP 22
Executive branch
monarch, Executive Council, prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
Independence
1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Leaders
Chief of State--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)
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
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)
Long-form name
Independent State of Western Samoa
Member of
ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, WHO
National holiday
National Day, 1 June
Political parties and leaders
Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), Tofilau Eti, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), Tupua Tamasese Efi, chairman
Suffrage
there are two electoral rolls--the matai (head of family) roll and the individuals roll; about 12,000 persons are on the matai roll, hold matai titles, and elect 45 members of the Legislative Assembly; about 1,600 persons are on the individuals roll, lack traditional matai ties, and elect two members of the Legislative Assembly by universal adult suffrage at the age of NA
Type
constitutional monarchy under native chief
Economy
Agriculture
coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $16 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $261 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Budget
revenues $54 million; expenditures $54 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1988)
Currency
tala (plural--tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Electricity
23,000 kW capacity; 35 million kWh produced, 190 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
tala (WS$) per US$1--2.2857 (January 1990), 2.2686
Exports
$9.9 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--coconut oil and cream 42%, taro 19%, cocoa 14%, copra, timber; partners--NZ 30%, EC 24%, Australia 21%, American Samoa 7%, US 9% (1987)
External debt
$75 million (December 1988 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$112 million, per capita $615; real growth rate 0.2%
Imports
$51.8 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%; partners--New Zealand 31%, Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%, US 5%, EC 4% (1987)
Industrial production
growth rate - 4.0% (1987)
Industries
timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8.5% (1988)
Overview
Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and is the source of 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 about five times export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and construction of the first international hotel is under way.
Unemployment rate
NA%; shortage of skilled labor
Communications
Airports
4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
3 major transport aircraft
Highways
2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Merchant marine
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930 GRT/34,135 DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo
Ports
Apia
Telecommunications
7,500 telephones; 70,000 radio receivers; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station
Military and Security
Branches
NA
Defense expenditures
NA
Military manpower
NA