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Samoa
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The Independent State of Samoa
(conventional long form) or Samoa (conventional
short form) is a country comprising a group of
islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Previous
names were German Samoa from 1900 to 1914 and
Western Samoa from 1914 to 1997. It was
recognized by the UN only on 15 December 1976
(UN members) as Samoa. The entire group was
known as Navigators' Islands before the 20th
century due to the Samoans' excellent seafaring
skills.
History
Main article: History of Samoa
The first polynesians to have arrived in the
Samoan islands either came from Southeast Asia,
or South America more than 4000 years ago and
from there settled the rest of Polynesia further
to the east. Samoa enjoys a rich history, of
which is preserved in folklore, and myth, of
voyages across the ocean, conquests of different
islands, and inter-island war with the other
polynesian empires of Fiji, and Tonga. It is
believed that a temple found in the island of
Manono has a record of a system of stones, that
commemerates over 150 cases of war. Robert Louis
Stevenson, the famed Scottish author who would
spend the remainder of his life in Samoa would
later make the statement, "War is Samoa's
favorite pastime." Contact with Europeans began
in the early 1700s but did not intensify until
the arrival of English missionaries and traders
in the 1830s. During this time period the
Samoans were given a reputation of being savage,
and warlike. Clashing with the French, German,
British, and American soldiers who valued Samoa
as a refueling station in the pacific. With
increased interest of Germany, who viewed the
island as the "jewel of its new empire", America
quickly capitalized, laying it's own claim to
the territory. British forces would also send
troops to express Britains interest. What insued
was an 8 year civil war, in which both sides
would get involved on behalf of who would
benefit their interest. Supplying arms,
training, and in some cases getting personaly
involved. With all three sending warships into
Apia harbour, war seemed imminent, until a
massive storm destroyed all three ships, ending
the millitary conflict. At the turn of the 20th
century, the Samoa Islands were split into two
parts. The eastern group became territories of
the United States, the Tutuila islands in 1900,
and officialy Manua in 1905 and today are known
as American Samoa. The western islands became
known as German Samoa, then Western Samoa after
passing from German control to New Zealand in
1914. British gave up claims to the islands in
return for Tonga and Fiji. From then on New
Zealand controlled Samoa under Trusteeship
through the League of Nations until the 1960's,
after the Samoans during a "peaceful" protest
known as the Mau movement expelled the foreign
occupation for its mistreatment of the Samoan
people, and the killing of 1/3 of its population
during the Spanish Flu pandemic that ravaged the
islands in 1918. In 1962 Western Samoa became
the first Pacific Island state to regain its
independence.
In July 1997, the Constitution was amended to
change the country's name from Western Samoa to
Samoa. Samoa had been known simply as Samoa in
the United Nations since joining the
organization in 1976. The neighboring U.S.
territory of American Samoa protested at the
move, feeling that the change diminished its own
Samoan identity. American Samoans still use the
terms Western Samoa and Western Samoans to
describe the Independent State of Samoa (aka
Samoa as written above).
Geography
Map of SamoaMain article: Geography of Samoa
Samoa is located east of the international
dateline and south of the equator, about halfway
between Hawaii and New Zealand in the Polynesian
region of the South Pacific. The Samoas are of
volcanic origin and the total land area is 2934
sq km, consisting of the two large islands of
Upolu and Savai'i which account for 96% of the
total land area, and eight small islets: Manono,
Apolima, Nuutele, Nuulua, Namua, Fanuatapu,
Nuusafee and Nuulopa. The main island of Upolu
is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's
population and its capital city is Apia. The
climate is tropical with the average annual
temperature of 26.5°C, and a rainy season from
November to April.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Samoa
The Fa'a Samoa, or traditional Samoan way,
remains a strong force in Samoan life and
politics. Despite centuries of European
influence, Samoa maintains its historical
customs, social systems, and language, which is
believed to be the oldest form of Polynesian
speech still in existence. Only the Māori of New
Zealand outnumber the Samoans among Polynesian
groups (though virtually no full-blooded Māori
still exist).
98% of Samoans are Christians, divided among
many different churches, among them:
Congregationalist (34.8%), Roman Catholic
(19.6%), Methodist (15%), Latter-Day Saints
(12.7%), Assembly of God (6.6%), Seventh-day
Adventist (3.5%), and other Christian (4.5%).
Hardly any other religious group exists in
Samoa, except for the Bahá'ís, which make up 2%
of the population. In addition to the Head of
State, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II being
a Bahá'í, Samoa hosts one of only seven Bahá'í
Houses of Worship in the world. Completed in
1984 and dedicated by the Head of State, it is
located in Tiapapata, eight km from Apia.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Samoa has a
large sex imbalance, apparently caused by the
large-scale emigration of women. [1] The cause
of this is not apparent.
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Background:
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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 one-half of the way from Hawaii to New
Zealand |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 35
S, 172 20 W
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Map references:
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Oceania |
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Area:
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total: 2,944 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 2,934 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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403
km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry
season (May to October) |
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Terrain:
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narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged
mountains in interior |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m |
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Natural resources:
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hardwood forests, fish, hydropower |
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Ethnic groups:
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Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European
and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%
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Religions:
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Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population
associated with the London Missionary Society;
includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist,
Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist) |
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Languages:
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Samoan (Polynesian), English |
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Currency:
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tala
(WST) |
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Currency code:
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WST
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Exchange rates:
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tala
per US dollar - 3.5236 (January 2002), 3.4722
(2001), 3.2712 (2000), 3.0120 (1999), 2.9429 (1998),
2.5562 (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ws
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