1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)
Coastline
403 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Environment
subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 19%; permanent crops 24%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 47%; other 10%
Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Total area
2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
34 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) about 7%, Europeans 0.4%
Infant mortality rate
47 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
38,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1987 est.)
Language
Samoan (Polynesian), English
Life expectancy at birth
64 years male, 69 years female (1991)
Literacy
97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
Nationality
noun--Western Samoan(s); adjective--Western Samoan
Net migration rate
- 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
Public Service Association (PSA)
Population
190,346 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)
Religion
Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Total fertility rate
4.5 children born/woman (1991)
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, Della Newman, is accredited to Western Samoa (mailing address is P.O. Box 3430, Apia); telephone (685) 21-631
Elections
Legislative Assembly--last held NA February 1991 (next to be held by February 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(47 total) HRPP 30, SNDP 14, independent 3
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, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
National holiday
National Day, 1 June
Political parties and leaders
Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), VA'AI Kolone, chairman
Suffrage
universal adult at age NA, but only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly
Type
constitutional monarchy under native chief
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)
Budget
revenues $70 million; expenditures $73 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (1990)
Currency
tala (plural--tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $291 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Electricity
29,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
tala (WS$) per US$1--2.3170 (January 1991), 2.3095 (1990), 2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986), 2.2437 (1985)
Exports
$9.4 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%, cocoa 3%; partners--NZ 28%, EC 23%, American Samoa 23%, Australia 11%, US 6% (1990)
External debt
$83 million (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$115 million, per capita $620; real growth rate - 4.5% (1990 est.)
Imports
$87 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.); 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 - 4.3% (1990 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP
Industries
timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
17% (1990 est.)
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 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
3 total, 3 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 radios; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station
Military and Security
Branches
Department of Police and Prisons
Defense expenditures
$NA, NA% of GDP _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 49,119; NA fit for military service