# The World Factbook (1990)/Western Samoa

pages 338–339
​Western Samoa
See regional map X
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:
    Extended 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: 19% arable land; 24% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 10% other
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: 186,031 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: -5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Western Samoan(s); adjective—Western Samoan
​Ethnic divisions: Samoan; about 7% Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood), 0.4% Europeans
Religion: 99.7% Christian (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: 90%
Labor force: 37,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1983 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; A‘ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa‘asaleleaga, Gaga‘emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa‘itea, Tuamasaga, Va‘a-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), Tupua Tamasese Efi, chairman
Suffrage: there are two electoral rolls—the matai (head of family) roll and the individuals roll; about 12,000 persons are on the matai roll, hold matai titles, and elect 45 members of the Legislative Assembly; about 1,600 persons are on the individuals roll, lack traditional matai ties, and elect two members of the Legislative Assembly by universal adult suffrage at the age of NA
Elections: Legislative Assembly—last held 26 February 1988 (next to be held by February 1991); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(47 total) HRPP 25, SNDP 22
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, 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 is accredited to Western Samoa
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 two-thirds of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and is the source of 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: $112 million, per capita $615; real growth rate 0.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.5% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor
Budget: revenues $54 million; expenditures $54 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1988)
Exports: $9.9 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—coconut oil and cream 42%, taro 19%, cocoa 14%, copra, timber; partners—NZ 30%, EC 24%, Australia 21%, American Samoa 7%, US 9% (1987)
Imports: $51.8 million (c.i.f., 1988); 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: $75 million (December 1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.0% (1987)
Electricity: 23,000 kW capacity; 35 million kWh produced, 190 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $16 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $261 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency: tala (plural—tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1—2.2857 (January 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: 4 total, 4 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 radio receivers; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station
Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA