Samoa

noun:

Samoan(s)

adjective:

Samoan

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.78 male(s)/female

total population:

1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

degree of risk:

high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases:

malaria

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

particulate matter emissions:

10.56 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.25 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.27 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

17.7% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

-0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

degree of risk:

high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases:

malaria

municipal solid waste generated annually:

27,399 tons (2011 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

9,864 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

36% (2013 est.)

conventional long form:

Independent State of Samoa

conventional short form:

Samoa

local long form:

Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa

local short form:

Samoa

former:

Western Samoa

etymology:

• the meaning of Samoa is disputed;
• some modern explanations are that the "sa" connotes "sacred" and "moa" indicates "center," so the name can mean "Holy Center";
• alternatively, some assertions state that it can mean "place of the sacred moa bird" of Polynesian mythology;
• the name, however, may go back to Proto-Polynesian (PPn) times (before 1000 B.C.);
• a plausible PPn reconstruction has the first syllable as "sa'a" meaning "tribe or people" and "moa" meaning "deep sea or ocean" to convey the meaning "people of the deep sea"

name:

Apia

geographic coordinates:

13 49 S, 171 46 W

time difference:

UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

name derives from the native village around which the capital was constructed in the 1850s; the village still exists within the larger modern capital

• Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962);
• note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, but it is observed in June

history:

several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962

amendments:

• proposed as an act by the Legislative Assembly;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership in the third reading - provided at least 90 days have elapsed since the second reading, and assent of the chief of state;
• passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles on customary land or constitutional amendment procedures also requires at least two-thirds majority approval in a referendum;
• amended several times, last in 2020

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Samoa

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va’aletoa Sualauvi II (since 21 July 2017)

head of government:

Prime Minister FIAME Naomi Mata’afa (since 24 May 2021)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice

elections/appointments:

• chief of state indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a 5-year term (2- term limit);
• election last held on 4 July 2017 (next to be held in 2022);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state, approved by the Legislative Assembly

election results:

TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va’aletoa Sualauvi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly on 5 July 2017

description:

• unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (51 seats for 2021-2026 term);
• members from 51 single-seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote, with a minimum 10% representation of women in the Assembly required;
• members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

election last held on 9 April 2021 (next election to be held in 2026);

• note - head of state TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va’aletoa Sualauvi II declared 9 April 2021 election void on 4 May 2021, new elections set for 21 May 2021;
• on 17 May 2021, the Supreme Court invalidated the head of state's order allowing the 9 April 2021 election results to stand

election results:

• percent of vote by party - HRPP 55%, FAST 37%, TSP 3%, independents 5%;
• seats by party – initial election results - FAST 25, HRPP 25, independents 1;
• composition - men 46, women 5, percent of women 9.8%

; note - on 2 June 2021, the Court of Appeals declared that a sixth seat for women is required to meet the minimum 10% representation for women, but that the seat would not be filled until after all election petitions and by-elections are settled

highest courts:

• Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and 2 Supreme Court judges and meets once or twice a year);
• Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice appointed by the chief of state upon the advice of the prime minister;
• other Supreme Court judges appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general and an appointee of the Minister of Justice;
• judges normally serve until retirement at age 68

subordinate courts:

• District Court;
• Magistrates' Courts;
• Land and Titles Courts;
• village fono or village chief councils

• Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi]
• Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi or FAST [FIAME Naomi Mata'afa]
• Tautua Samoa Party or TSP [Afualo Wood Uti SALELE]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pa’olelei LUTERU (since 7 July 2021)

chancery:

685 Third Avenue, 44th Street, 11th Floor, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10017

telephone:

[1] (212) 599-6196

FAX:

[1] (212) 599-0797

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.un.int/samoa/samoa/embassy-independent-state-samoa-united-states-america

consulate(s) general:

Pago Pago (American Samoa)

chief of mission:

the US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa

embassy:

5th Floor, Accident Corporation Building, Matafele Apia

mailing address:

4400 Apia Place, Washington DC 20521-4400

telephone:

[685] 21-436 (2018)

FAX:

[685] 22-030 (2018)

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://ws.usembassy.gov/

• red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white, five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation;
• red stands for courage, blue represents freedom, and white signifies purity

note: similar to the flag of Taiwan

name:

"O le Fu'a o le Sa'olotoga o Samoa" (The Banner of Freedom)

lyrics/music:

Sauni Liga KURESA

note: adopted 1962; also known as "Samoa Tula'i" (Samoa Arise)

agriculture:

65%

industry:

6%

services:

29% (2015 est.)

total:

31.9%

male:

24.6%

female:

43.4% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

• state-owned TV station privatized in 2008;
• 4 privately owned television broadcast stations;
• about a half-dozen privately owned radio stations and one state-owned radio station;
• TV and radio broadcasts of several stations from American Samoa are available (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

137,770 (2018)

• 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