ocation: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.
Area: total: 2,831 sq k, land: 2,821 sq k, water: 10 sq km.
Natural resources: Hardwood forests, fish, hydropower.
Population: 200,108 (July 2017 est.).
Capital: Apia.
Time Zone: UTC+13.
Languages: Samoan (Polynesian) (official) 91.1%, Somoan/English 6.7%, English (official) 0.5%, other 0.2%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 est.).
Government type: Parliamentary republic.
Legal system: Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen.
International organization participation: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO.
Economy: The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, tourism, agriculture, and fishing. Agriculture, including fishing, furnishes 90% of exports, featuring fish, coconut oil, nonu products, and taro. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. Tourism is an expanding sector accounting for 25% of GDP; 132,000 tourists visited the islands in 2013. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the country’s financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment.
Currency: Tala (SAT).