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| Geography |
| Occupies an almost central position within Polynesia |
| Location: |
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand |
| Geographic coordinates: |
13 35 S, 172 20 W |
| Area: |
total: 2,831 sq km land: 2,821 sq km water: 10 sq kmSize comparison: slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
| Land Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
403 km |
| Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| 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 highest point: Mount Silisili 1,857 m |
| Natural resources: |
hardwood forests, fish, hydropower |
| Land use: |
arable land: 21.13% permanent crops: 24.3% other: 54.57% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: |
NA |
| Natural hazards: |
occasional typhoons; active volcanism volcanism: Savai’I Island (elev. 1,858 m), which last erupted in 1911, is historically active |
| Current Environment Issues: |
soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing |
| International Environment Agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People |
| Population: |
194,320 (July 2012 est.) 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 |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 35.4% (male 35,233/female 33,060) 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 59,366/female 55,376) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 4,472/female 5,654) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 22.5 years male: 22.3 years female: 22.7 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: |
0.596% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: |
22.1 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: |
5.34 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: |
-10.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: |
total: 21.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 72.66 years male: 69.79 years female: 75.68 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: |
3.13 children born/woman (2012 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate: |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| HIV/AIDS – deaths: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan |
| Ethnic groups: |
Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) 7%, Europeans 0.4% (2001 census) |
| Religions: |
Protestant 59.9% (Congregationalist 34.8%, Methodist 15%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%), Roman Catholic 19.6%, Mormon 12.7%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) |
| Languages: |
Samoan (Polynesian) (official), English |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) |
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| Government |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa’oloto Tuto’atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa |
| Government type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: |
name: Apia geographic coordinates: 13 49 S, 171 46 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) +1hr, begins last Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April |
| 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 New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National holiday: |
Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note – 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship; it is observed in June |
| Constitution: |
1 January 1962 |
| Legal system: |
mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen |
| Suffrage: |
21 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: |
chief of state: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007) head of government: Prime Minister TUILA’EPA Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi (since 1998); Deputy Prime Minister FONOTOE Pierre Lauofo (since 2011) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister’s advice (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: chief of state elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 20 July 2012 (next to be held in 2017); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly election results: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly |
| Legislative branch: |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats, 47 members elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve five-year terms) elections: election last held on 4 March 2011 (next election to be held not later than March 2016) election results: percent of vote by party – NA; seats by party – HRPP 29, Tautua Samoa 13, independents 7 |
| Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; District Court; Land and Titles Court |
| Political parties and leaders: |
Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA’EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]; Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA]; Tautua Samoa [Vaelua Eti ALESANA] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International organization participation: |
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196 through 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 consulate(s) general: Pago Pago (American Samoa) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa embassy: Accident Corporation Building, 5th Floor, Matafele, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Matafele, Apia telephone: [685] 21436/21631/21452/22696 FAX: [685] 22030 |
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| Economy |
| 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 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; 122,000 tourists visited the islands in 2007. In late September 2009, an earthquake and the resulting tsunami severely damaged Samoa, and nearby American Samoa, disrupting transportation and power generation, and resulting in about 200 deaths. 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): |
GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.104 billion (2011 est.) $1.081 billion (2010 est.) $1.079 billion (2009 est.) note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): |
GDP (official exchange rate): $630 million (2011 est.) |
| GDP – real growth rate: |
2.1% (2011 est.) 0.2% (2010 est.) -5.4% (2009 est.) |
| GDP – per capita (PPP): |
GDP – per capita (PPP): $6,000 (2011 est.) $5,900 (2010 est.) $5,900 (2009 est.) note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
| GDP – composition by sector: |
agriculture: 9.9% industry: 28.8% services: 61.4% (2011 est.) |
| Labor force: |
66,270 (2007 est.) |
| Labor force – by occupation: |
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
| Unemployment rate: |
NA% |
| Population below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.2% (2011 est.) 0.8% (2010 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $258.9 million expenditures: $302.1 million (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture – products: |
coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa |
| Industries: |
food processing, building materials, auto parts |
| Industrial production growth rate: |
2.8% (2000) |
| Electricity – production: |
108 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity – consumption: |
98.58 million kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity – exports: |
0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity – imports: |
0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Oil – production: |
0 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil – consumption: |
1,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil – exports: |
0 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil – imports: |
1,125 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil – proved reserves: |
0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas – production: |
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas – consumption: |
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas – exports: |
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas – imports: |
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas – proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Current account balance: |
-$58.9 million (2010 est.) -$57.9 million (2010 est.) |
| Exports: |
$35.49 million (2010 est.) $25.11 million (2009 est.) |
| Exports – commodities: |
fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer |
| Exports – partners: |
American Samoa 50%, Australia 23.6% (2011) |
| Imports: |
$280 million (2010 est.) $280 million (2010 est.) |
| Imports – commodities: |
machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs |
| Imports – partners: |
NZ 24%, Fiji 17.2%, Singapore 15.4%, China 8.5%, Japan 8.2%, Australia 6.7%, US 5.3% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$165.6 million (31 December 2011 est.) $209.5 million (31 December 2010 est.) |
| Debt – external: |
$235.5 million (31 December 2009 est.) $177 million (2004) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: |
$NA |
| Exchange rates: |
tala (SAT) per US dollar – 2.31 (2011 est.) 2.48 |
| Fiscal year: |
June 1 – May 31 |
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: |
35,300 (2009) country comparison to the world: 176 |
| Cellular Phones in use: |
167,400 (2009) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: adequate domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 100 telephones per 100 persons international: country code – 685; satellite earth station – 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations: |
|
| Television broadcast stations: |
|
| Internet country code: |
.ws |
| Internet hosts: |
18,074 (2010) |
| Internet users: |
9,000 (2009) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: |
4 (2012) country comparison to the world: 188 |
| Airports (paved runways): |
total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): |
total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2012) |
| Roadways: |
total: 2,337 km paved: 332 km unpaved: 2,005 km (2001) |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 2 by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (NZ 1) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: |
Apia |
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| Military |
| Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship |
| Military branches: |
no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2008) |
| Manpower available for military service: |
males age 16-49: 47,906 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 16-49: 38,260 females age 16-49: 38,032 (2010 est.) |
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