Compare Pacific Ocean (2004) - Samoa (2002)

Compare Pacific Ocean (2004) z Samoa (2002)

	Pacific Ocean (2004)	Samoa (2002)

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
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 30.6% (male 27,774; female 26,854) 15-64 years: 63.5% (male 71,358; female 42,150) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 4,859; female 5,636) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	coconuts, bananas, taro, yams
Airports	-	3 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Area	total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies	total: 2,944 sq km land: 2,934 sq km water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative	about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world	slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Background	The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.	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	-	15.53 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $105 million expenditures: $119 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001/2002)
Capital	-	Apia
Climate	planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December	tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)
Coastline	135,663 km	403 km
Constitution	-	1 January 1962
Country name	-	conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa
Currency	-	tala (WST)
Death rate	-	6.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	-	$192 million (1999)
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	chief of mission: the Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa embassy: 5th floor John Williams Building, Beach Road, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia telephone: [685] 21631 FAX: [685] 22030
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	chief of mission: Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADE chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797
Disputes - international	some maritime disputes (see littoral states)	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$42.9 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview	The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings.	The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, and agricultural exports. 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 16% of GDP; about 85,000 tourists visited the islands in 2000. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline. 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	-	95.79 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	-	103 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 59% hydro: 41% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m
Environment - current issues	endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea	soil erosion
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%
Exchange rates	-	tala per US dollar - 3.5236 (January 2002), 3.4722 (2001), 3.2712 (2000), 3.0120 (1999), 2.9429 (1998), 2.5562 (1997)
Executive branch	-	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 24 November 1998); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister from 1992 until he assumed the prime ministership in November 1998, when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; 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	-	$17 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities	-	fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, garments, beer
Exports - partners	-	Australia 62%, Indonesia 13%, US 11%, American Samoa 3%, New Zealand 3% (2000)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	-	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 - $618 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 16% industry: 18% services: 66% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	0 00 N, 160 00 W	13 35 S, 172 20 W
Geography - note	the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean	occupies an almost central position within Polynesia
Highways	-	total: 836 km paved: 267 km unpaved: 569 km (1983)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	$90 million f.o.b. (2000)
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs
Imports - partners	-	Australia 27%, US 26%, New Zealand 14%, Fiji 12%, Japan 9% (2000)
Independence	-	1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate	-	2.8% (2000)
Industries	-	food processing, building materials, auto parts
Infant mortality rate	-	30.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	-	ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW (signatory), Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	2 (2000)
Irrigated land	-	NA sq km
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Labor force	-	90,000 (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (1995 est.)
Land boundaries	-	0 km
Land use	-	arable land: 19.43% permanent crops: 23.67% other: 56.9% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	Samoan (Polynesian), English
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
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by Samoans, 2 elected by non-Samoans; only chiefs or matai may stand for election to the Fono; members serve five-year terms) elections: byelection last held NA November 2001 (next byelection to be held 29 March 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HRPP 30, SNDP 13, independents 6
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 69.8 years male: 67.06 years female: 72.69 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 80% male: 81% female: 79% (1999)
Location	body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references	Political Map of the World	Oceania
Maritime claims	-	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	-	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,091 GRT/ 8,127 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note	-	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	-	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: Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan
Natural hazards	surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December	occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Natural resources	oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish	hardwood forests, fish, hydropower
Net migration rate	-	-11.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Christian Democratic Party [leader NA]; Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA, chairman]; Samoa All People's Party or SAPP [Matatumua NAIMOAGA]; 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 Independent Party or SUIP [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	-	178,631 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	-0.25% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)	Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	174,849 (1997)
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	-	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: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.69 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	-	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: adequate domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	8,183 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	1,545 (February 1998)
Television broadcast stations	-	6 (1997)
Terrain	surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest	narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
Total fertility rate	-	3.3 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Transportation - note	Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)	-
Unemployment rate	-	NA%; note - substantial underemployment
Waterways	-	none

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