WESTERN SAMOA
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims:
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
Land use: arable land 19%; permanent crops 24%; meadows and
pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 47%; other 10%
Environment: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Note: located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific
Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
PEOPLE
Population: 190,346 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Western Samoan(s); adjective--Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions: Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and
Polynesian blood) about 7%, Europeans 0.4%
Religion: Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with
the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic,
Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Language: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Literacy: 97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1971)
Labor force: 38,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1987 est.)
Organized labor: Public Service Association (PSA)
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Independent State of Western Samoa
Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
Capital: Apia
Administrative divisions: 11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai,
Atua, Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea,
Tuamasaga, Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered
by New Zealand)
Constitution: 1 January 1962
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
National holiday: National Day, 1 June
Executive branch: monarch, Executive Council, prime minister,
Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State--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)
Political parties and leaders:
Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti, chairman;
Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), VA'AI Kolone,
chairman
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA, but only matai (head of
family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly
Elections:
Legislative Assembly--last held NA February 1991
(next to be held by February 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(47 total) HRPP 30, SNDP 14, independent 3
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IMF, IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe
WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN,
820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-6196;
US--the ambassador to New Zealand, Della Newman, is accredited to
Western Samoa (mailing address is P.O. Box 3430, Apia); telephone (685)
21-631
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant
bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross
constellation
ECONOMY
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 about five times export earnings. Tourism has become the
most important growth industry, and construction of the first
international hotel is under way.
GDP: $115 million, per capita $620; real growth rate - 4.5%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 17% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor
Budget: revenues $70 million; expenditures $73 million,
including capital expenditures of $41 million (1990)
Exports: $9.4 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities--coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%,
cocoa 3%;
partners--NZ 28%, EC 23%, American Samoa 23%, Australia 11%,
US 6% (1990)
Imports: $87 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities--intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%;
partners--New Zealand 31%, Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%,
US 5%, EC 4% (1987)
External debt: $83 million (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 4.3% (1990 est.); accounts for
14% of GDP
Electricity: 29,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced,
240 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including
bananas, taro, yams)
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $291 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency: tala (plural--tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1--2.3170 (January 1991), 2.3095
(1990), 2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986),
2.2437 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Highways: 2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel,
crushed stone, or earth
Ports: Apia
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930
GRT/34,135 DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios;
stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Department of Police and Prisons
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 49,119; NA fit for military
service
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP