Edition 2003 — Samoa — World Factbook

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 29.4% (male 26,613; female 25,715) 15-64 years: 64.6% (male 72,135; female 42,903) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 4,980; female 5,827) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

Airports

4 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) Military Samoa

Area

land: 2,934 sq km
total: 2,944 sq km
water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Background

New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997. Geography Samoa

Birth rate

15.41 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $119 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001/2002)
revenues: $105 million

Capital

Apia

Climate

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

Coastline

403 km

Constitution

1 January 1962

Country name

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

Currency

tala (SAT)

Currency code

SAT (former WST code is still in wide use)

Death rate

6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$197 million (2000)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: the Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa
embassy: Vailima
mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia
telephone: [685] 21631/22696

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Feturi ELISAIA

Disputes - international

none; note - some EEZ demarcations, including the one with American Samoa, are undefined This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Economic aid - recipient

$42.9 million (1995)

Economy - overview

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, and agriculture and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. The decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing problem. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 88,000 tourists visited the islands in 2001. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, meantime protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.

Electricity - consumption

97.74 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

105.1 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 58%
hydro: 42%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

tala per US dollar - 3.37 (2002), 3.48 (2001), 3.29 (2000), 3.01 (1999), 2.95 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state with the prime minister's advice
chief of state: Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA (cochief of state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963)
elections: upon the death of Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly
head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister from 1992 until he assumed the prime ministership in 1996, when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister after TOFILAU died; the post of deputy prime minister is currently vacant

Exports

$15.5 million f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities

fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer

Exports - partners

Australia 66.1%, US 10%, Japan 3.7% (2002)

FAX

[1] (212) 599-0797; [685] 22030
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197

Fiscal year

June 1 - May 31 Communications Samoa

Flag description

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

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 14%
industry: 23%
services: 63% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

13 35 S, 172 20 W

Geography - note

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia People Samoa

Government type

constitutional monarchy under native chief

Highways

paved: 332 km
total: 790 km
unpaved: 458 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

12

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%

Imports

$130.1 million f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

New Zealand 23.3%, Fiji 20.2%, Australia 15.7%, Japan 13.1%, Taiwan 6.4%, US 4.2% (2002)

Independence

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

Industrial production growth rate

2.8% (2000)

Industries

food processing, building materials, auto parts

Infant mortality rate

female: 24.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 34.98 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 29.73 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4% (2001 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Internet country code

.ws

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2000)

Internet users

3,000 (2002) Transportation Samoa

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Land and Titles Court

Labor force

90,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 19.43%
other: 56.9% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 23.67%

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 branch

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly Eurasian, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono; members serve five-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HRPP 30, SNDP 13, independents 6
elections: election last held 3 March 2001 (next election to be held not later than March 2006)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 73 years (2003 est.)
male: 67.35 years
total population: 70.11 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
female: 99.7% (2003 est.) Government Samoa
male: 99.6%
total population: 99.7%

Location

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Median age

female: 20.2 years (2002)
male: 26.3 years
total: 23.7 years

Merchant marine

convenience: Germany 1 (2002 est.)
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of
ships by type: cargo 1
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT

Military - note

Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship Transnational Issues Samoa

Military branches

no regular armed services; Samoa Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

National holiday

Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the date that independence is celebrated

Nationality

adjective: Samoan
noun: Samoan(s)

Natural hazards

occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Natural resources

hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

Net migration rate

-11.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Party [leader NA]; Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA, chairman]; Samoa All People's Party or SAPP [Matatumua MAIMOANA]; Samoan National Development Party or SNDP [LE MAMEA Ropati, chairman] (opposition); Samoa National Party [FETU Tiatia, party secretary]; Samoan Progressive Conservative Party [LEOTA Ituau Ale]; Samoan United Independents Party or SUIP [Dr. Saleimoa VAAI]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

178,173 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

-0.27% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

174,849 (1997)

Railways