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Communications

Airports [time series]

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

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 2,042 km paved: 375 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 1,667 km

Merchant marine [time series]

1 roll on/roll off cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT

Ports [time series]

Apia

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT ground station

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Department of Police and Prisons

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$NA, NA% of GDP

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for about 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)

Budget [time series]

revenues: $95.3 million expenditures: $95.4 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (1992 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene

Economic aid [time series]

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

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 29,000 kW production: 45 million kWh consumption per capita: 240 kWh (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2.5920 (January 1994), 2.5681 (1993), 2.4655 (1992), 2.3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990), 2.2686 (1989)

Exports [time series]

$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%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$83 million (December 1990 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Imports [time series]

$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%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate -0.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP

Industries [time series]

timber, tourism, food processing, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

7% (1993 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $400 million (1992 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$2,000 (1992 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

-4.3% (1992 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

NA%

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 2,860 sq km land area: 2,850 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Climate [time series]

tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)

Coastline [time series]

403 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

NA sq km

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 19% permanent crops: 24% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 47% other: 10%

Location [time series]

Oceania, Polynesia, 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Map references [time series]

Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

hardwood forests, fish

Terrain [time series]

narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Apia

Constitution [time series]

1 January 1962

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Neroni SLADE chancery: 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017 telephone: (212) 599-6196 or 6197

Executive branch [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

(212) 972-3970

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

(685) 22-030

Flag [time series]

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation

Independence [time series]

1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court, Court of Appeal

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch (Legislative Assembly (Fono)) [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: Independent State of Western Samoa conventional short form: Western Samoa

National holiday [time series]

National Day, 1 June (1962)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; universal, but only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly

Government type (Type) [time series]

constitutional monarchy under native chief

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

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

People

Birth rate [time series]

32.41 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate [time series]

6.02 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

37 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force [time series]

38,000 by occupation: agriculture 22,000 (1987 est.)

Languages [time series]

Samoan (Polynesian), English

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 67.97 years male: 65.59 years female: 70.48 years (1994 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1971) total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Western Samoan(s) adjective: Western Samoan

Net migration rate [time series]

-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population [time series]

204,447 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.38% (1994 est.)

Religions [time series]

Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.16 children born/woman (1994 est.)