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Samoa is a country of Oceania. Located in the Pacific
Ocean, in Polynesia, it consists of two main islands -
Savaii and Opolu - and, in the whole of the territory,
it has an area of 2944 km2. The capital is
the city of Apia, on the island of Opolu, with 36,000
inhabitants (2004). The island of Savaii is covered by
volcanic peaks and plateaus of lava, while on the island
of Opolu the population is concentrated. The climate
is tropical maritime, moderated by the southwest
winds. November to April is the wettest, rainy
season. May to October is the dry season.
Economy
The economy is based essentially on agriculture: coconut
oil, taro, copra, bananas, pineapples, mango, cocoa and
wood are produced. Much of the soil is made up of
forests. The country does not have extractive
industries. Emigrants' remittances, which have been
increasing, help to balance the country's economy, whose
trade balance is very deficient. The government decided
to promote tourism after 1992. Samoa's main trading
partners are New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and the United
States of America. Environmental indicator: the value of
carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric
tons, 1999), is 0.8.
Population
It has a population of 176 908 inhabitants (2006), which
corresponds to a population density of 60.22 inhab./km2. The
birth and death rates are respectively 16.43% and
6.62%. Average life expectancy is 71 years. The value of
the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.775 and the value
of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) was not
assigned (2001). It is estimated that in 2025 the
population will decrease to 177,000 inhabitants, due to
strong emigration. Polynesian Samoans represent 88% of
the population. The main religious groups are
congregationists (43%), Catholics (21%), Methodists
(17%) and Mormons (10%). The official languages are
English and Samoan.
History
These tropical and mountainous islands have been
disputed by Dutch, Germans and Americans since their
discovery by Europeans in the 18th century. In 1889,
they obtained sovereignty under King Malietoa Laupepa,
but shortly after his death in 1898, the islands came
under the control of the Germans, with the agreement of
the United States and Great Britain. In 1830, the
English influence was felt, due to the arrival of
missionaries who converted the population to
Christianity. New Zealand annexed the islands in 1919,
when they were ruled by Germans, and administered them
until 1962. The country has been a member of the
Commonwealth since 1970 and the United Nations since
1976.
An independent state since 1962, Western Samoa is a
constitutional monarchy with a legislative assembly. The
Head of State is King Malietoa Tanumafili II, who will
remain on the throne until his death, at which point the
monarchical system in Western Samoa will
end. Thereafter, the heads of state will be elected by
the legislative assembly. In 1997 the country adopted
the name Samoa, instead of the former designation of
Western Samoa.
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