Samoa

constitutional monarchy under native chief

Samoa as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 111 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalApia
LocationOceania, Polynesia, 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South
1994

Every edition of Samoa

Populationas each edition published it
204,447 people July 1994 est. · 186,031 in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.38% 1994 est. · 2.37% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 23.7 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 67.58 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
4.16 children per woman 1994 est. · 4.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
37 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 48 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$2,000 1992 est. · $690 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-4.3% 1992 est. · -4.5% in 1993

Geography

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

22 fields
Coastline
403km
land boundaries: 0 km

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

total area

2,860 sq km

land area

2,850 sq km

comparative area

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Climate

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

Terrain

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

Natural resources

hardwood forests, fish

arable land

19%

permanent crops

24%

meadows and pastures

0%

forest and woodland

47%

other

10%

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

People

21 fields
Population
204,447
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 2.38% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
32.41Death
6.02Net migration
-2.63

Ethnic divisions

Samoan 92.6%Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood)Europeans 0.4%
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1971)

Infant mortality rate

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

total population

67.97 years

male

65.59 years

female

70.48 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.16 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Western Samoan(s)

adjective

Western Samoan

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)

Languages

Samoan (Polynesian), English

total population

97%

male

97%

female

97%

by occupation

agriculture 22,000 (1987 est.)

Government

Constitutional monarchy under native chief

29 fields

Legislature, 47 seatsone dot, one seat

HRPP 28SNDP 18independents 1

conventional long form

Independent State of Western Samoa

conventional short form

Western Samoa

Type

constitutional monarchy under native chief

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

Independence

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

National holiday

National Day, 1 June (1962)

Constitution

1 January 1962

Suffrage

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

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

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

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

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

chief of mission

Ambassador Neroni SLADE

chancery

820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017

telephone

(212) 599-6196 or 6197

FAX

(212) 972-3970

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

FAX

(685) 22-030

Flag

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

Economy

Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force, contributes 50% | to GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports.

25 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$2,000
(1992 est.)
Real growth rate
-4.3%
(1992 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -0.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP
External debt
$83million
(December 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 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.

National product

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

revenues

$95.3 million

expenditures

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

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%

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%

capacity

29,000 kW

production

45 million kWh

consumption per capita

240 kWh (1990)

Industries

timber, tourism, food processing, fishing

Agriculture

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

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

Currency

1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

12 fields

total

2,042 km

paved

375 km

unpaved

gravel, crushed stone, earth 1,667 km

Ports

Apia

Merchant marine

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

total

3

usable

3

with permanent-surface runways

1

with runways over 3,659 m

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

1

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

0

Telecommunications

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

Defense Forces

Department of Police and Prisons

2 fields

Branches

Department of Police and Prisons

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Central Intelligence Agency. “Western Samoa.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/samoa/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →