Western Samoa




                                 Geography


Location:
     Oceania, Polynesia, 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South
     Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
Map references:
     Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     2,860 sq km
land area:
     2,850 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries:
     0 km
Coastline:
     403 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International 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:
     0%
forest and woodland:
     47%
other:
     10%
Irrigated land:
     NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
     soil erosion
natural hazards:
     subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
international agreements:
     party to - Biodiversity; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change,
     Law of the Sea




                                  People


Population:
     204,447 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.38% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     32.41 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     6.02 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     37 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     67.97 years
male:
     65.59 years
female:
     70.48 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     4.16 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Western Samoan(s)
adjective:
     Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions:
     Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian
     blood), 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:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
total population:
     97%
male:
     97%
female:
     97%
Labor force:
     38,000
by occupation:
     agriculture 22,000 (1987 est.)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Independent State of Western Samoa




conventional short form:
Digraph:
     WS
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)
National holiday:
     National Day, 1 June (1962)
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
Suffrage:
     21 years of age; universal, but only matai (head of family) are able
     to run for the Legislative Assembly
Executive branch:
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)
cabinet:
     Cabinet; appointed by the head of state with the prime minister's
     advice
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
Legislative Assembly (Fono):
     elections last held 5 April 1991 (next to be held by NA 1996); results
     - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) HRPP 28, SNDP 18,
     independents 1
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
     Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman;
     Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman
Member of:
     ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF,
     INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN,
     UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Neroni SLADE
chancery:
     820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017




telephone:
     (212) 599-6196 or 6197
FAX:
     (212) 972-3970
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Western Samoa
embassy:
     5th floor, Beach Road, Apia
mailing address:
     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


                                  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
     much greater than export earnings. Tourism has become the most
     important growth industry, and construction of the first international
     hotel is under way. The economy continued to falter in 1993, as
     remittances and tourist earnings fell off. A fungal plant disease
     severely damaged the taro crop, the primary food and export crop.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $400 million (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     -4.3% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
     $2,000 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     7% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $95.3 million
expenditures:
     $95.4 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (1992
     est.)
Exports:
     $5.7 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     coconut oil and cream, taro, copra, cocoa
partners:
     New Zealand 34%, American Samoa 21%, Germany 18%, Australia 11%




Imports:
     $11.5 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%
partners:
     New Zealand 37%, Australia 25%, Japan 11%, Fiji 9%
External debt:
     $83 million (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate -0.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     29,000 kW
production:
     45 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     240 kWh (1990)
Industries:
     timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture:
     accounts for about 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas,
     taro, yams)
Economic aid:
recipient:
     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), $4 million
Currency:
     1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates:
     tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2.5920 (January 1994), 2.5681 (1993), 2.4655
     (1992), 2.3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990), 2.2686 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Highways:
total:
     2,042 km
paved:
     375 km
unpaved:
     gravel, crushed stone, earth 1,667 km
Ports:
     Apia
Merchant marine:
     1 roll on/roll off cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,838
     GRT/5,536 DWT
Airports:
total:
     3
usable:
     3




with permanent-surface runways:
     1
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     0
Telecommunications:
     7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no
     TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT ground station


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Department of Police and Prisons
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP