: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
Disputes:
    none
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

:Western Samoa People

Population:
    194,992 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)
Birth rate:
    34 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    -4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
    40 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
    65 years male, 70 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
    4.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
    noun - Western Samoan(s); adjective - Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions:
    Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) about 7%,
    Europeans 0.4%
Religions:
    Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London
    Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist,
    Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages:
    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)

:Western Samoa Government

Long-form name:
    Independent State of Western Samoa
Type:
    constitutional monarchy under native chief
Capital:
    Apia
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
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:
    chief, Executive Council, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
    unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)
Judicial branch:
    Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Leaders:
  Chief of State:
    Chief 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 over age 21, 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 NA February 1994); results -
    percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) HRPP 30, SNDP 14,
    independents 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 suite 510,
    1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005; telephone (202) 833-1743
  US:
    the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Western Samoa (mailing
    address is P.O. Box 3430, Apia); telephone (685) 21-631; FAX (685) 22-030
Flag:
    red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five
    white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation

:Western Samoa 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 several times
    export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and
    construction of the first international hotel is under way.
GDP:
    exchange rate conversion - $115 million, per capita $690 (1989); real growth
    rate -4.5% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    15% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
    NA%; shortage of skilled labor
Budget:
    revenues $95.3 million; expenditures $95.4 million, including capital
    expenditures of $41 million (FY92)
Exports:
    $9 million (f.o.b., 1990)
  commodities:
    coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%, cocoa 3%
  partners:
    NZ 28%, American Samoa 23%, Germany 22%, US 6% (1990)
Imports:
    $75 million (c.i.f., 1990)
  commodities:
    intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%
  partners:
    New Zealand 41%, Australia 18%, Japan 13%, UK 6%, US 6%
External debt:
    $83 million (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
    growth rate -4% (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 (1970-89), $306 million; OPEC
    bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency:
    tala (plural - tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates:
    tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2,4284 (March 1992), 2,3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990),
    2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987)
Fiscal year:
    calendar year

:Western Samoa Communications

Highways:
    2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or
    earth
Ports:
    Apia
Merchant marine:
    1 roll-on/roll-off ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT
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; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1
    Pacific Ocean INTELSAT ground station

:Western Samoa Defense Forces

Branches:
    Department of Police and Prisons
Manpower availability:
    males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
    exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP