Samoa

Government
Constitutional monarchy under a native chief.

Geography
Samoa, formerly Western Samoa, is in the South Pacific Ocean about 2,200 mi (3,540 km) south of Hawaii. The larger islands in the Samoan chain, Upolu and Savai’i, are mountainous and of volcanic origin

Historical Background
New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.

Name

Samoa

Capital

(and largest city) Apia

Language

Samoan, English

Area

Total 2,831 km2 (174th) 1,093 sq mi  Water (%) 0.3%

Population

2009 estimate 179,000 (166th) 2006 census 179,186 Density 63.2/km2 (134th) 163.7/sq mi

Currency

Tala (WST)