Samoa, island chain, SW Pacific Ocean
Samoa, chain of volcanic islands in the South Pacific, comprising the independent nation of Samoa Samoa, formerly Western Samoa, officially Independent State of Samoa, constitutional monarchy (2005 est. pop. 177,000), South Pacific, comprising the western half of the Samoa island chain...... Click the link for more information. (formerly Western Samoa), and E of long. 171° W, the islands of American Samoa American Samoa, officially Territory of American Samoa, unincorporated territory of the United States (2000 pop. 57,291), comprising the eastern half of the Samoa island chain in the South Pacific.
..... Click the link for more information. , under U.S. control. The Samoan islands extend c.350 mi (560 km), with a total land area of c.1,200 sq mi (3,110 sq km), and lie midway between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Sydney, Australia. The major islands are volcanic and mountainous and are surrounded by coral reefs. Soil in the interior is rocky; most cultivation takes place along the coast. Temperatures range from 90°F; (32.2°C;) in December, the hottest month, to 75°F; (23.9°C;) in August; the annual rainfall is 190 in. (483 cm), with the rainy season occurring between December and March.
The natives are Polynesians who may have arrived in the islands as early as 1000 B.C. From Samoa they swept out across the Pacific (c.A.D. 1200), carrying Polynesian civilization to innumerable other islands. The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to visit (1722) Samoa. Subsequent European expansion into the islands led to disorder and violence, which was compounded by tribal warfare. The first European missionaries arrived in 1830. Between 1847 and 1861, the United States, Great Britain, and Germany sent representatives to Samoa, and in 1878 the United States and the Samoan kingdom signed a treaty giving the United States certain trade privileges and the right to establish a naval station at Pago Pago Pago Pago , town (1990 pop. 10,640) and capital of American Samoa, on the Southern shore of Tutuila island. Pago Pago has an excellent, landlocked harbor and is the only port of call in American Samoa. Tourism and tuna canning are important industries.
..... Click the link for more information. . Germany and Great Britain were accorded similar privileges in 1879. A tripartite treaty in 1899 between Great Britain, the United States, and Germany recognized U.S. interests east of long. 171°W; Germany was granted the western islands, and Great Britain withdrew from the area in consideration of rights in Tonga Tonga , officially Kingdom of Tonga, island kingdom (2005 est. pop. 112,000), 270 sq mi (699 sq km), South Pacific, c.2000 mi (3,220 km) NE of Sydney, Australia. Tonga is the only surviving independent kingdom in the South Pacific. Nukualofa is the capital.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, independent Commonwealth nation (2005 est. pop. 538,000), c.15,500 sq mi (40,150 sq km), SW Pacific, E of New Guinea. The islands that constitute the nation of the Solomon Islands—Guadalcanal, Malaita, New Georgia, the Santa Cruz Islands,
..... Click the link for more information. . New Zealand seized the German islands in 1914 during World War I and received a mandate to administer them from the League of Nations in 1920. In 1946 they became a UN trust territory held by New Zealand. In 1962 the independent nation of Western Samoa was created from the New Zealand territory; it was renamed in 1997. The eastern islands remained under U.S. control.
Samoa, country, SW Pacific Ocean
Samoa, formerly Western Samoa, officially Independent State of Samoa, constitutional monarchy (2005 est. pop. 177,000), South Pacific, comprising the western half of the Samoa Samoa, chain of volcanic islands in the South Pacific, comprising the independent nation of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa), and E of long. 171° W, the islands of American Samoa, under U.S. control. The Samoan islands extend c...... Click the link for more information. island chain. There are nine major islands: Upolu Upolu , volcanic island (1986 est. pop. 163,000), Samoa, S Pacific, the most populous of the Samoan islands. Upolu's land area is c.430 sq mi (1,110 sq km); the highest peak is Vaaifetu (c.3,600 ft/1,100 m).
..... Click the link for more information. , Savai'i Savai'i , volcanic island (1981 pop. 43,150), Samoa. It is the largest (c.700 sq mi/1,810 sq km) and most westerly of the Samoan islands. Savai'i, fertile and mountainous, has the highest peak in Samoa, Mt. Silisili (6,070 ft/1,850 m).
..... Click the link for more information. , Apolima, Manono, Fanuatapu, Namua, Nuutele, Nuula, and Nuusafee, with a total land area of 1,097 sq mi (2,842 sq km). Apia Apia , town (1983 est. pop. 35,000), capital of Samoa, on the northern coast of Upolu island. The economic, social, and political center of Samoa, Apia is the nation's only port and city.
..... Click the link for more information. , the capital, is on Upolu.
Land, People, and Economy
All the islands are mountainous, fertile, and surrounded by coral reefs; extensive volcanic activity occurred on Savai'i early in the 20th cent. The population, which is predominantly Polynesian and Christian, speaks Samoan (a Polynesian language) and English. The people are engaged largely in subsistence agriculture; the chief exports are copra, cocoa, and bananas. Tourism is also important.
History
All of the Samoan islands west of long. 171°W were awarded to Germany under the terms of an 1899 treaty among Germany, the United States, and Great Britain. New Zealand seized the islands from Germany in 1914 and obtained a mandate over them from the League of Nations in 1921. The United Nations made the islands a trusteeship of New Zealand in 1946. New Zealand rule was unpopular, and in the 1930s a resistance movement (known as mau) emerged among Europeans and native Polynesians. In 1961 a United Nations–supervised plebiscite was held, and on Jan. 1, 1962, the islands became independent as Western Samoa. The nation was renamed Samoa in 1997.
Samoa, a constitutional monarchy, has a 49-member legislative assembly. Since 1991 all of its members have been elected by universal suffrage, but candidates can be chosen only from among the titled heads of families (matai), except for two members elected by non–ethnic Samoans. Executive power rests in the head of state, who is selected by the assembly from among the royal families; the head of state in turn chooses a prime minister and cabinet from among members of the assembly. Chief Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II became co-chief of state in 1962 and sole chief of state in 1963; Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has been prime minister since 1998.
Samoa
officially Independent State of Samoa formerly Western Samoa){kind=small}
Samoa
Official name: Independent State of Samoa
Capital city: Apia
Internet country code: .ws
Flag description: Red with a blue rectangle in the upper
hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
National anthem: “O le Fua o le Saolotoga o Samoa” (The Banner of Freedom), lyrics and music by Sauni I. Kuresa
National motto: “Faavae i le Atua Samoa” (God Be the Foundation of Samoa)
Geographical description: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Total area: 1,133 sq. mi. (2,934 sq. km.)
Climate: Tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)
Nationality: noun: Samoan(s); adjective: Samoan
Population: 214,265 (July 2007 CIA est.)
Ethnic groups: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians (mixed European and Polynesian) 7%, Europeans 0.4%
Languages spoken: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Religions: 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%
Legal Holidays:
| Boxing Day | Dec 26 |
| Christmas | Dec 25 |
| Easter Monday | Apr 25, 2011; Apr 9, 2012; Apr 1, 2013; Apr 21, 2014; Apr 6, 2015 |
| Easter Saturday | Apr 23, 2011; Apr 7, 2012; Mar 30, 2013; Apr 19, 2014; Apr 4, 2015 |
| Fathers' Day | Aug 8, 2011; Aug 13, 2012; Aug 12, 2013; Aug 11, 2014; Aug 10, 2015 |
| Good Friday | Apr 22, 2011; Apr 6, 2012; Mar 29, 2013; Apr 18, 2014; Apr 3, 2015 |
| Independence Day | Jun 1 |
| Mothers' Day | May 9, 2011; May 14, 2012; May 13, 2013; May 12, 2014; May 11, 2015 |
| New Year's Holiday | Jan 1 |
Samoa
(or Samoan Islands; formerly Navigators’ Islands), 14 islands of volcanic origin located in the Pacific Ocean in Polynesia, between 13° and 15° S lat. The most important islands are Savai’i (1,800 sq km), Upolu (1,100 sq km), and Tutuila (137 sq km). Samoa is divided into Western Samoa, which has been an independent state since 1962, and American Samoa, which is a colonial possession of the USA.
In remote antiquity the islands were settled by tribes of Polynesians. The first European to visit Samoa was the Dutchman J. Roggeveen in 1722. In 1768, the islands were visited by the French navigator L. A. de Bougainville, who named them the Navigators’ Islands. In the mid-19th century a struggle developed between Germany, Great Britain, and the USA for possession of the islands. Samoa came under the joint administration of the three powers in 1889. After Great Britain, in exchange for compensation by Germany in other areas, renounced its claims to the islands in 1899, Samoa was divided between Germany, which received the western part, and the USA, which received the eastern part. The subsequent history of the islands is discussed in the articles WESTERN SAMOA and AMERICAN SAMOA.
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