| Samoa |
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Map:
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| 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 and Environmental |
Capital: name: Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 44 W
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Area Total: 2,944 sq km |
| Area Land: 2,934 sq km |
| Area Water: 10 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
| Coastline: 403 km |
| Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) |
| Terrain: two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean 0 m |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m |
| Natural Resources: hardwood forests, fish, hydropower |
| Land Use Arable Land: 21.13% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 24.3% |
| Land Use Other: 54.57% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: NA |
| Natural Hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism |
| Environment Current Issues: soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing |
| Geography Note: occupies an almost central position within Polynesia |
| Population |
Population: 214,265
note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 38.1% (male 41,551/female 40,085) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 56.3% (male 63,320/female 57,277) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 5.6% (male 5,416/female 6,616) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 20.4 years |
| Median Age Male: 20.7 years |
| Median Age Female: 20.2 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 1.291% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 28.28 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 5.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.05 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.037 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 1.106 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.819 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 1.061 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 25.89 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 30.54 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 71.3 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 68.49 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 74.26 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 4.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: NA |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: NA |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: NA |
| 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%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) |
| Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 99.7% |
| Literacy Male: 99.6% |
| Literacy Female: 99.7% (2003 est.) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 100,000 tourists visited the islands in 2005. 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. 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. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $1 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 5.5% (2005 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 11.4% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 58.4% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 30.2% (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force: 90,000 (2000 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Unemployment Rate: NA% |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 3.3% (2005) |
| Industries: food processing, building materials, auto parts |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: 2.8% (2000) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 108 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 58% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 42% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 100.5 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $94 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer |
| Exports Partners: Australia 75.9%, American Samoa 13.6%, US 6.5% (2005) |
| Imports: $285 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs |
| Imports Partners: NZ 31%, Australia 22.6%, US 13.5%, Japan 7.5%, Fiji 6%, China 4.6% (2005) |
| Debt External: $177 million (2004) |
| Economic Aid Recipient: $30.8 million (2004) |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 13,300 (2003) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 24,000 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: adequate |
| Telephone System Domestic: NA |
| Telephone System International: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Radios: 174,849 (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 2 (2002) |
| Televisions: 8,634 (1999) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 2 (2000) |
| Internet Users: 6,000 (2004) |
| Transportation |
| Airports: 4 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: NA |
| Disputes International: none |