Guam (2001) | Samoa (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of the US) | 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
35.07% (male 28,978; female 26,270) 15-64 years: 58.78% (male 48,704; female 43,902) 65 years and over: 6.15% (male 4,871; female 4,832) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 28.3% (male 25,548; female 24,668)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 72,820; female 43,563) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 5,096; female 6,019) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef | coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa |
Airports | 5 (2000 est.) | 4 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total:
549 sq km land: 549 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 2,944 sq km
land: 2,934 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative | three times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific. | 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. |
Birth rate | 25.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 15.69 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$605.3 million expenditures: $654.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) |
revenues: $105 million
expenditures: $119 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2001-02) |
Capital | Hagatna (Agana) | Apia |
Climate | tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to June, rainy season from July to December; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) |
Coastline | 125.5 km | 403 km |
Constitution | Organic Act of 1 August 1950 | 1 January 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Territory of Guam conventional short form: Guam |
conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa
conventional short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | tala (SAT) |
Death rate | 4.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $197 million (2000) |
Dependency status | organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of the US) | chief of mission: the Ambassador to New Zealand, Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS, is accredited to Samoa
embassy: Accident Compensation Board (ACB) Building, 5th Floor, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia telephone: [685] 21631/22696 FAX: [685] 22030 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of the US) | chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury ($143 million in 1997) into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam | $42.9 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | The economy depends on US military spending, tourism, and the export of fish and handicrafts. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1 billion in 1998. Over the past 20 years, the tourist industry has grown rapidly, creating a construction boom for new hotels and the expansion of older ones. More than 1 million tourists visit Guam each year. The industry has recently suffered setbacks because of the continuing Japanese slowdown; the Japanese normally make up almost 90% of the tourists. Most food and industrial goods are imported. Guam faces the problem of building up the civilian economic sector to offset the impact of military downsizing. | The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, and agriculture and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. The decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing problem. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 88,000 tourists visited the islands in 2001. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, meantime protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low. |
Electricity - consumption | 744 million kWh (1999) | 97.74 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 800 million kWh (1999) | 105.1 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m |
Environment - current issues | extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic species | soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Chamorro 47%, Filipino 25%, white 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other 18% | Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4% |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | tala per US dollar - 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002), 3.478 (2001), 3.2864 (2000), 3.0132 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Carl GUTIERREZ (since 8 November 1994) and Lieutenant Governor Madeleine BORDALLO (since 8 November 1994) cabinet: executive departments; heads appointed by the governor with the consent of the Guam legislature elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for a four-year term; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 3 November 1998 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: Carl GUTIERREZ reelected governor; percent of vote - Carl GUTIERREZ (Democrat) 53.2%, Joseph ADA (Republican) 46.8% |
chief of state: Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA (cochief of state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963)
head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1996); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister from 1992 until he assumed the prime ministership in 1996, when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; TUILA'EPA was confirmed as prime minister (November 1998) after TOFILAU died; the post of deputy prime minister is currently vacant cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state with the prime minister's advice elections: upon the death of Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly |
Exports | $75.7 million (f.o.b., 1999) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products; construction materials, fish, food and beverage products | fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer |
Exports - partners | US 25% | Australia 63.6%, Indonesia 15.2%, US 5.1% (2003) |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | June 1 - May 31 |
Flag description | territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the national flag | red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $3.2 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: 15% (1993) services: NA% |
agriculture: 14%
industry: 23% services: 63% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $21,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 5% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 28 N, 144 47 E | 13 35 S, 172 20 W |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean | occupies an almost central position within Polynesia |
Highways | total:
885 km paved: 675 km unpaved: 210 km note: there are also 685 km of roads classified non-public, including roads located on federal government installations |
total: 790 km
paved: 332 km unpaved: 458 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $203 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods | machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | US 23%, Japan 19% | New Zealand 19.8%, Fiji 17.8%, Australia 15.4%, Japan 11.9%, US 4.7%, Singapore 4.3% (2003) |
Independence | none (territory of the US) | 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 2.8% (2000) |
Industries | US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles | food processing, building materials, auto parts |
Infant mortality rate | 6.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 28.72 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0% (1999 est.) | 4% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC | ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 20 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president); Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by the governor) | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Land and Titles Court |
Labor force | 60,000 (2000 est.) | 90,000 (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | federal and territorial government 26%, private 74% (trade 24%, other services 40%, industry 10%) (2000 est.) | NA |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
11% permanent crops: 11% permanent pastures: 15% forests and woodland: 18% other: 45% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 21.2%
permanent crops: 24.38% other: 54.42% (2001) |
Languages | English, Chamorro, Japanese | Samoan (Polynesian), English |
Legal system | modeled on US; US federal laws apply | 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 |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 8, Democratic Party 7 note: Guam elects one delegate to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002); results - Robert UNDERWOOD was reelected as delegate; percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 1 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly Eurasian, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono; members serve five-year terms)
elections: election last held 3 March 2001 (next election to be held not later than March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 30, SNDP 13, independents 6 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.94 years male: 75.66 years female: 80.55 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 70.41 years
male: 67.64 years female: 73.33 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1990 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.) |
Location | Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | Oceania | Oceania |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,091 GRT/8,127 DWT
by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: Germany 1 registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US | Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship |
Military branches | - | no regular armed services; Samoa Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA |
National holiday | Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521) | Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the date that independence is celebrated |
Nationality | noun:
Guamanian(s) adjective: Guamanian |
noun: Samoan(s)
adjective: Samoan |
Natural hazards | frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (especially in August) | occasional typhoons; active volcanism |
Natural resources | fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan) | hardwood forests, fish, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -11.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party (party of the Governor) [leader NA]; Republican Party (controls the legislature) [leader NA] | Christian Democratic Party [leader NA]; Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA, chairman]; Samoa All People's Party or SAPP [Matatumua MAIMOANA]; Samoan National Development Party or SNDP [LE MAMEA Ropati, chairman] (opposition); Samoa National Party [FETU Tiatia, party secretary]; Samoan Progressive Conservative Party [LEOTA Ituau Ale]; Samoan United Independents Party or SUIP [Dr. Saleimoa VAAI] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 157,557 (July 2001 est.) | 177,714 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 2.09% (2001 est.) | -0.25% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Apra Harbor | Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 221,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | - |
Religions | Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.) | Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.14 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.67 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
modern system, integrated with US facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service and local access to the Internet international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the US and Asia) |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 84,134 (1998) | 11,800 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 55,000 (1998) | 2,700 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (1997) | 2 (2002) |
Terrain | volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low-rising hills in center, mountains in south | two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior |
Total fertility rate | 3.85 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 15% (2000 est.) | NA%; note - substantial underemployment |
Waterways | none | - |