WESTERN SAMOA                                                                   
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2                                     
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island                            
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 403 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season                  
(May to October)                                                                
                                                                                
Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged                      
mountains in interior                                                           
                                                                                
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish                                       
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 19%; permanent crops 24%; meadows and                     
pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 47%; other 10%                              
                                                                                
Environment: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism                   
                                                                                
Note: located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific               
Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand                              
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 190,346 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Western Samoan(s); adjective--Western Samoan                 
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and                  
Polynesian blood) about 7%, Europeans 0.4%                                      
                                                                                
Religion: Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with             
the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic,         
Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)                            
                                                                                
Language: Samoan (Polynesian), English                                          
                                                                                
Literacy: 97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1971)                                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: 38,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1987 est.)                 
                                                                                
Organized labor: Public Service Association (PSA)                               
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Independent State of Western Samoa                              
                                                                                
Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief                                
                                                                                
Capital: Apia                                                                   
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai,                    
Atua, Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea,              
Tuamasaga, Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano                                              
                                                                                
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered                  
by New Zealand)                                                                 
                                                                                
Constitution: 1 January 1962                                                    
                                                                                
Legal system: 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                       
                                                                                
National holiday: National Day, 1 June                                          
                                                                                
Executive branch: monarch, Executive Council, prime minister,                   
Cabinet                                                                         
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)                      
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal                                 
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--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)                                                                   
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti, chairman;                    
Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), VA'AI Kolone,                         
chairman                                                                        
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA, but only matai (head of                    
family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly                            
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Legislative Assembly--last held NA February 1991                                
(next to be held by February 1994);                                             
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(47 total) HRPP 30, SNDP 14, independent 3                               
                                                                                
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,              
IFC, IMF, IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO               
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe                     
WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN,            
820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-6196;                              
                                                                                
US--the ambassador to New Zealand, Della Newman, is accredited to               
Western Samoa (mailing address is P.O. Box 3430, Apia); telephone (685)         
21-631                                                                          
                                                                                
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant                
bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross           
constellation                                                                   
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: 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 about five times export earnings. Tourism has become the       
most important growth industry, and construction of the first                   
international hotel is under way.                                               
                                                                                
GDP: $115 million, per capita $620; real growth rate - 4.5%                     
(1990 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 17% (1990 est.)                               
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor                               
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $70 million; expenditures $73 million,                         
including capital expenditures of $41 million (1990)                            
                                                                                
Exports: $9.4 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%,                     
cocoa 3%;                                                                       
                                                                                
partners--NZ 28%, EC 23%, American Samoa 23%, Australia 11%,                    
US 6% (1990)                                                                    
                                                                                
Imports: $87 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);                                       
                                                                                
commodities--intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%;               
                                                                                
partners--New Zealand 31%, Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%,                  
US 5%, EC 4% (1987)                                                             
                                                                                
External debt: $83 million (December 1990 est.)                                 
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate - 4.3% (1990 est.); accounts for             
14% of GDP                                                                      
                                                                                
Electricity: 29,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced,                       
240 kWh per capita (1990)                                                       
                                                                                
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing                           
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including                
bananas, taro, yams)                                                            
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18                    
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $291 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million               
                                                                                
Currency: tala (plural--tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene                          
                                                                                
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1--2.3170 (January 1991), 2.3095              
(1990), 2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986),             
2.2437 (1985)                                                                   
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Highways: 2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel,               
crushed stone, or earth                                                         
                                                                                
Ports: Apia                                                                     
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930                    
GRT/34,135 DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo                  
                                                                                
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft                                           
                                                                                
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;                  
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;                   
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                 
                                                                                
Telecommunications: 7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios;                            
stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station                  
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Department of Police and Prisons                                      
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 49,119; NA fit for military                 
service                                                                         
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP                                           
                                                                                
