1994 Edition

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

Agriculture

accounts for about 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)

Airports

total: 3 usable: 3 with permanent-surface runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:

Area

total area: 2,860 sq km land area: 2,850 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Birth rate

32.41 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

Department of Police and Prisons

Budget

revenues: $95.3 million expenditures: $95.4 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (1992 est.)

Capital

Apia

Climate

tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)

Coastline

403 km

Constitution

1 January 1962

Currency

1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene

Death rate

6.02 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Digraph

WS

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Neroni SLADE chancery: 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017 telephone: (212) 599-6196 or 6197

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

Electricity

capacity: 29,000 kW production: 45 million kWh consumption per capita: 240 kWh (1990)

Environment

current issues: soil erosion natural hazards: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism international agreements: party to - Biodiversity; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Ethnic divisions

Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%

Exchange rates

tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2.5920 (January 1994), 2.5681 (1993), 2.4655 (1992), 2.3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990), 2.2686 (1989)

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

Exports

$5.7 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: coconut oil and cream, taro, copra, cocoa partners: New Zealand 34%, American Samoa 21%, Germany 18%, Australia 11%

External debt

$83 million (December 1990 est.)

FAX

(212) 972-3970

(685) 22-030

Fiscal year

calendar year

Flag

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation

Highways

total: 2,042 km paved: 375 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 1,667 km

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%

Independence

1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)

Industrial production

growth rate -0.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP

Industries

timber, tourism, food processing, fishing

Infant mortality rate

37 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (1993 est.)

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, Court of Appeal

Labor force

38,000 by occupation: agriculture 22,000 (1987 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 19% permanent crops: 24% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 47% other: 10%

Languages

Samoan (Polynesian), English

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 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

Legislative branch

unicameral

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 67.97 years male: 65.59 years female: 70.48 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1971) total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97%

Location

Oceania, Polynesia, 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Map references

Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Member of

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Merchant marine

1 roll on/roll off cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT

Names

conventional long form: Independent State of Western Samoa conventional short form: Western Samoa

National holiday

National Day, 1 June (1962)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $400 million (1992 est.)

National product per capita

$2,000 (1992 est.)

National product real growth rate

-4.3% (1992 est.)

Nationality

noun: Western Samoan(s) adjective: Western Samoan

Natural resources

hardwood forests, fish

Net migration rate

-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 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 much greater than export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and construction of the first international hotel is under way. The economy continued to falter in 1993, as remittances and tourist earnings fell off. A fungal plant disease severely damaged the taro crop, the primary food and export crop.

Political parties and leaders

Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman

Population

204,447 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.38% (1994 est.)

Ports

Apia

Religions

Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal, but only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly

Telecommunications

7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT ground station

Terrain

narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Total fertility rate

4.16 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

constitutional monarchy under native chief

Unemployment rate

NA%

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) 21-631