e-agriculture 2.0

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.

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

13 35 S, 172 20 W

Oceania

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

0 km

403 km

tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)

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

hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

arable land 2.8%; permanent crops 7.8%; permanent pasture 1.8%

NA

occasional typhoons; active volcanism

soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) 7%, Europeans 0.4% (2001 census)

Samoan (Polynesian) (official), English

Protestant 57.4% (Congregationalist 31.8%, Methodist 13.7%, Assembly of God 8%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.9%), Roman Catholic 19.4%, Mormon 15.2%, Worship Centre 1.7%, other Christian 5.5%, other 0.7%, none 0.1%, unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

197,773

0.58% (2015 est.)

20.87 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

5.32 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

-9.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

APIA (capital) 37,000 (2014)

2.84 children born/woman (2015 est.)

28.7% (2009)

7.5% of GDP (2013)

0.45 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

1 beds/1,000 population (2005)

urban: 97.5% of population

rural: 99.3% of population

total: 99% of population

urban: 2.5% of population

rural: 0.7% of population

total: 1% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 93.3% of population

rural: 91.1% of population

total: 91.5% of population

urban: 6.7% of population

rural: 8.9% of population

total: 8.5% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

NA

41.6% (2014)

5.8% of GDP (2008)

parliamentary democracy

+1hr, begins last Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April

11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

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

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

several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962; amended several times, last in 2013 (2013)

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

21 years of age; universal

Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]

Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]

Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toalepaiali'i Toesulusulu S'iueva POSE II]

Tautua Samoa [Leatinu'u Salole LESA]

NA

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Southern Cross constellation (five, five-pointed stars); national colors: red, white, blue

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, tourism, agriculture, and fishing. It has a nominal GDP of $780 million. Agriculture, including fishing, employs roughly two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring fish, coconut oil, nonu products, and taro. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 1,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia, and is responsible for 65% of total exports. Industry accounts for nearly 15% of GDP while employing less than 6% of the work force. The service sector accounts for nearly three-quarters of GDP and employs approximately 50% of the labor force. Tourism is an expanding sector accounting for 25% of GDP; 132,000 tourists visited the islands in 2013. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. In late September 2009, an earthquake and the resulting tsunami severely damaged Samoa, and nearby American Samoa, disrupting transportation and power generation, and resulting in about 200 deaths. In December 2012, extensive flooding and wind damage from Tropical Cyclone Evan killed four people, displaced over 6,000, and damaged or destroyed an estimated 1,500 homes in Samoa's Upolu Island. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state and inflation is low, but the external debt is approximately 55% of GDP. Samoa became the 155th member of the WTO in May 2012, and graduated from least developed country (LDC) status in January 2014.

$994 million (2014 est.)

$975.5 million (2013 est.)

$986.1 million (2012 est.)

$826 million (2014 est.)

1.9% (2014 est.)

-1.1% (2013 est.)

1.2% (2012 est.)

$5,200 (2014 est.)

$5,100 (2013 est.)

$5,100 (2012 est.)

coconuts, nonu, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

food processing, building materials, auto parts

1.5% (2014 est.)

48,580 (2012 est.)

NA%

NA%

26% of GDP (2014 est.)

-5.2% of GDP (2014 est.)

June 1 - May 31

-1.2% (2014 est.)

0.6% (2013 est.)

10.2% (31 December 2014 est.)

10.19% (31 December 2013 est.)

$106.9 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$104.1 million (31 December 2013 est.)

$366 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$318.7 million (31 December 2013 est.)

$332.1 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$319.1 million (31 December 2013 est.)

$NA

-$31 million (2014 est.)

-$76.11 million (2011 est.)

$31.2 million (2012 est.)

$11.4 million (2011 est.)

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

American Samoa 42.4%, Australia 19.1% (2013)

$318.7 million (2011 est.)

$308.4 million (2012 est.)

machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

NZ 21.6%, Fiji 19.5%, Singapore 15%, China 12.6%, US 6.5%, Australia 5.7% (2013)

$170.9 million (31 December 2013 est.)

$368.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$422.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)

tala (SAT) per US dollar -

2.329 (2014 est.)

2.3109 (2013 est.)

2.29 (2012 est.)

2.3175 (2011 est.)

2.4847 (2010 est.)

115.2 million kWh (2011 est.)

107.1 million kWh (2011 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

42,100 kW (2011 est.)

71.3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

28.5% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

0.2% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

1,130 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

1,149 bbl/day (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2012 est.)

0 cu m (2012 est.)

0 cu m (2012 est.)

0 cu m (2012 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

161,000 Mt (2012 est.)

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 (2009)

AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

2 (2002)

.ws

4 (2013)

3 (2013)

no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2008)

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