Western Samoa

: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

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