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Geography |
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Capital |
Apia (pop. 34,000). |
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Area |
2,934 sq. km. (1,133 sq. mi.) in two main islands plus seven smaller
ones. |
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Terrain |
Mountainous with narrow coastal plain. |
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Climate |
Tropical. |
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Samoa consists of the two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i and
seven small islets located about halfway between Hawaii and New
Zealand in the Polynesian region of the South Pacific. The main
island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's
population and its capital city of Apia. The climate is tropical,
with a rainy season from November to April. |
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People |
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Nationality |
Noun and adjective--Samoan. |
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Population |
(November 2006): 179,186. Age structure (2001)--40.7% under 15; 4.5%
over 65. |
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Groups |
Samoan 92.6%, Euronesian (mixed European and
Polynesian) 7%, European 0.4%. |
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Religions |
Christian 98.9%. |
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Languages |
Samoan, English. |
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The Fa'a Samoa, or traditional Samoan way, remains a strong force in
Samoan life and politics. Despite centuries of European influence,
Samoa maintains its historical customs, social systems, and
language, which is believed to be the oldest form of Polynesian
speech still in existence. Only the Maoris of New Zealand outnumber
the Samoans among Polynesian groups. |
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Government &
History |
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Official Name |
Independent State of Samoa |
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Government |
Mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional
monarchy. |
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Independence |
(from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship): January 1, 1962. |
Migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan islands more than
2,000 years ago and from there settled the rest of Polynesia further
to the east. Contact with Europeans began in the early 1700s but did
not intensify until the arrival of English missionaries and traders
in the 1830s. At the turn of the 20th century, the Samoan islands
were split into two sections. The eastern islands became territories
of the United States in 1904 and today are known as American Samoa.
The western islands became known as Western Samoa (now the
Independent State of Samoa), passing from German control to New
Zealand in 1914. New Zealand administered Western Samoa under the
auspices of the League of Nations and then as a UN trusteeship until
independence in 1962. Western Samoa was the first Pacific Island
country to gain its independence.
In July 1997 the Constitution was amended to change the country's
name from Western Samoa to Samoa (officially the "Independent State
of Samoa"). Western Samoa had been known simply as Samoa in the
United Nations since joining the organization in 1976. The
neighboring U.S. territory of American Samoa protested the move,
feeling that the change diminished its own Samoan identity. American
Samoans still use the terms Western Samoa and Western Samoans. |
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