2005 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

Age structure

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 24,517/female 23,660) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 73,495/female 44,208) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 5,204/female 6,203) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

Airports

4 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) 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

15.95 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$119 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2001-02)

revenues

$105 million

Capital

Apia

Climate

tropical; rainy season (November to April), 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 (code)

tala (SAT)

Currency code

SAT (former WST code is still in wide use)

Death rate

6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$197 million (2000)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa

embassy

Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Apia

FAX

[685] 22030

mailing address

P. O. Box 3430, Apia

telephone

[685] 21631/22696

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017

chief of mission

Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA

FAX

[1] (212) 599-0797

telephone

[1] (212) 599-6196, 6197

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Economic aid - recipient

$42.9 million (1995)

Economy - overview

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, 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. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. 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

113.5 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

122 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

58%

hydro

42%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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 - 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002), 3.478 (2001), 3.2864 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state on 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 and assumed the duties of acting prime minister in 1996, when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister (November 1998) after TOFILAU died; Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001)

Exports

$14 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Australia 67.2%, US 5.7%, Indonesia 5.3% (2004)

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 - 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.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1 billion (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

13 35 S, 172 20 W

Geography - note

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia People Samoa

Government type

mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

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

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$113 million f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

New Zealand 25.1%, Fiji 21.5%, Taiwan 9.1%, Australia 8.9%, Singapore 8.5%, Japan 7.5%, US 4.7% (2004)

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

22.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

32.68 deaths/1,000 live births

total

27.71 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4% (2001 est.)

International organization participation

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

Internet country code

.ws

Internet hosts

8,225 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2000)

Internet users

4,000 (2002) Transportation Samoa

Irrigated land

NA

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court

Labor force

90,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

21.2%

other

54.42% (2001)

permanent crops

24.38%

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 non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; 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

73.65 years (2005 est.)

male

67.93 years

total population

70.72 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

21.42 years (2005 est.)

male

27.42 years

total

24.59 years

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 1

foreign-owned

1 (Germany 1) (2005)

total

1 ships (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

-11.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

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]; Samoan Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati, chairman] (opposition)

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

177,287 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Population growth rate

-0.23% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Apia

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios

174,849 (1997)

Religions

Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, other Christian 4.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.66 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population

1.39 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

NA

general assessment

adequate

international

country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

11,800 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2,700 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

2 (2002)

Televisions

8,634 (1999)

Terrain

two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Total fertility rate

3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA; note - substantial underemployment