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List All Cities Samoa Listing cities Samoa database :
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Description Samoa by rbd.me
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New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.
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Location
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Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand
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Area - comparative
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slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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Natural resources Samoa
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two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
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Population Samoa
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192,001
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Religions Samoa
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Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
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Languages
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Samoan (Polynesian), English
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Education Samoa expenditures
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4.3% of GDP (2002)
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Government Samoa type
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parliamentary democracy
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Independence
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1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)
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Samoa Economy - overview
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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.
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Investment Samoa
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12.66% (31 December 2008)
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Industries Samoa
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101.4 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Airports Samoa
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NA
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