Samoa – country information

Country name	Samoa
Official name	The Independent State of Samoa
Capital	Apia
continent	Australia and Oceania
Area	2,831 km
Population	187 820 (2011)
Foundation of a state	1. 1. 1962
The highest mountains	Silisili (na Savaii) 1858 m
State system	a constitutional monarchy with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Apia (on the island of Upolu) (capital) 50,000
Official language	Samoan, English
Ethnicity/National Composition	Samoans (Polynesians) 89%, half-breeds 10%, Europeans 1%
Religious affiliation	Protestant 63.5%, Roman Catholic 21.5%, Mormon 8.5%, other 6.5%
Currency	1 tala (WS$) = 100 years
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$6,157 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	71.00 let (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 35.5%, industry 15%, construction 2%, services 47.5%

Country overview

The nine islands of Samoa lie south of the center of the Pacific Ocean, north of Tonga and northeast of Fiji. Only four islands are inhabited – Upolu, Savai’i, Apolima and Manono. Today, Western Samoa’s fragile economy depends on agriculture, tourism and income from Samoans working abroad, mainly in New Zealand.

According to Abbreviationfinder, Samoa is an island state in the South Pacific Ocean in Polynesia, which occupies the western part of the archipelago of the same name. “Samoa” comes from “Sa-ia-Moa” – sacred to Moa.

It consists of the islands of Savaii and Upolu, plus two small tropical islands and islets, most of the islands have mountain ranges and traces of lava flows. Samoa is bordered on all sides by the Pacific Ocean. The islands of Upolu and Savaii are separated by the Apolima Strait, in which the small islands of Manon and Apolima are located.

The capital of the country – the city of Apia is located on the island of Upolu, which is one of the two largest islands of the state. The currency is the Samoan Talay. The official language is Samoan, English.

The relief is predominantly mountainous. The climate is humid tropical. Temperature all year +25*С. Rains from November to April. May-October dry time. The islands periodically fall into cyclones. The prevailing wind direction is northeast, which accounts for 80% of the wet season and 50% of the dry season. Average wind speeds are about 20 km/h with gusts up to 48 km/h.

There is very little reliable information about the history of Samoa before the arrival of Europeans there. From legends and traditions, as well as from the materials of a few archaeological excavations, it is known that between the tribes that inhabited Samoa, Fiji and Tonga, there was a constant bloody rivalry for dominance in the region. Aristocratic families were bound by marriage, which supported the cultural and historical proximity of the states.
The European discoverer of the islands was the Dutch traveler Jacob Roggeveen, who landed on Samoa in 1722. Subsequently, in 1768, the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville visited the archipelago, calling it the Navigators’ Islands. Until the 1830s, when English missionaries and traders began to arrive on the islands, contact between the islanders and foreigners was very limited.

By the middle of the 19th century, rivalry between Germany, Britain and the United States flared up for control of the islands, which was expressed in sending warships to the area of ​​the islands, supporting the warring leaders of Samoa, supplying them with weapons, organizing training, and even in direct participation in internecine clashes. Since the end of World War I, Samoa has been administered by New Zealand, first under a League of Nations mandate, and later by the UN.

Despite the fact that the inhabitants of both Samoans belong to the same nation and have the same language, there are cultural differences between them. People from Eastern Samoa usually travel to Hawaii and the US mainland, and the residents themselves take up specific American interests, such as American football and baseball. People from Western Samoa are usually oriented towards New Zealand, whose influence can be seen in the great popularity of rugby and cricket.

Iridescent eucalyptus whose trunk seems to be covered with multi-colored paints, while the coloring changes all the time. The effect is obtained due to the exfoliation of the bark (a new one forms in place of the old bark). The fact is that with age, the bark of this tree changes color – at first it is bright green, then dark green, later the bark acquires shades from bluish to purple, then the bark becomes pink-orange and at the end – brown-raspberry.

Country data

Location: South Pacific Ocean

Time zone: CET + 13

Total area: 2,831 km²

Land area: 2,821 km²

Water area: 10 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 403 km

Capital: Apia

Districts: 11
A’ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa’asaleleaga, Gaga’emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa’itea, Tuamasaga, Va’a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

Electric current: 240 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 685 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m

Population

Population: approx. 200,000 residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.6% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 71

Life expectancy: 70 (male), 76 (female)

Official language: Samoan, English

Religions:

• 57% Protestants
• 19% Roman Catholic
• 24% other

Climate

All year round it is pleasantly warm with daytime temperatures between 20 ° C and 30 ° C.

Rainfalls must be expected every day.

The humidity is almost always between 70% and 80%.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Tala (WST)

Classification: 1 tala = 100 senes

ATMs: In Apia, Salelologa and Faleolo Airport.

International credit cards: These are accepted by major hotels and shops in Apia.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. The export is permitted in the amount of the declared import.

The national currency can be imported in unlimited quantities. Export is not allowed.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

You should be able to produce an English-language certificate from your doctor for any medication you have with you.

Travel advice

There is currently no country-specific safety notice for Samoa.

Economy

Over 60% of the population work in agriculture, but only generate around 15% of the gross domestic product.

The main crops are bananas, coffee, cocoa, coconut palms, taro and yams.

Doe production of vehicle parts is the largest industrial employer.

Tourism has also continued to develop over the past few decades.

Industries: vehicle parts production, agriculture, tobacco processing, tourism

Natural resources: wood, fish, hydropower

Land use:

• Usable land: 3%
• Grain cultivation: 8%
• Pasture area: 0%
• Forests: 86%
• other: 3%