The small island nation of Samoa lies in the south-central Pacific Ocean, in a region known as Polynesia. Samoa was controlled by Germany and then New Zealand for many years. Nevertheless, the Samoans took great care to preserve their traditional culture. In 1962 Samoa became the first Polynesian nation to gain independence in the 20th century. The country was known as Western Samoa until 1997. The capital and largest town is Apia, on the northern coast of Upolu Island. GeographyThe Samoan Islands are situated about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) northeast of New Zealand. The nine westernmost islands of this group make up the country of Samoa. The eastern islands are part of American Samoa, a territory of the United States. The country of Samoa consists of two main islands and seven small ones. The largest islands are Savai'i and Upolu. The seven small islands include Manono and Apolima. The other small islands are uninhabited. The total land area of Samoa is 1,093 square miles (2,831 square kilometers). The islands of Samoa are rocky and mountainous. They were formed by volcanic activity. At some places, cliffs formed by recent lava flows mark the coastline. Coral reefs surround the islands. There is little flat land except along the coasts. Samoa's highest peak is Mount Silisili, on Savai'i, at 6,099 feet (1,859 meters) above sea level. Both Savai'i and Upolu have numerous swiftly flowing rivers with rapids and waterfalls. Samoa lies near the equator, in a region called the tropics. It is hot and humid year-round. From November to March, the country receives heavy rain and sometimes severe storms. Plants and animalsMuch of the land in Samoa is forested. Mangrove trees thrive in the swampy areas along the coasts. The centers of the islands are covered with evergreen rain forests. Vines and ferns are plentiful. The islands are not rich in animal life. The only native mammals are bats, including large fruit bats called flying foxes. The islands have several species of lizards and two harmless kinds of snakes from the boa family. Samoa is home to some rare birds, including a tooth-billed pigeon. Among the country's many insects are centipedes and millipedes, scorpions, and spiders. People and cultureThe vast majority of the country's people are Samoan, a group that originally came from eastern Polynesia. The official languages are Samoan and English. Samoan is believed to be the oldest of the Polynesian languages. Most of the population is Christian. However, many people also include traditional practices and beliefs in their spiritual lives. - A village on the island of Savai'i in Samoa contains both traditional and modern buildings.
The only major town in Samoa is Apia, on Upolu Island. Apia is also the country's chief port and the center of government and commerce. About 20 percent of the population lives in Apia. The rest live in rural areas, mainly in villages along the coasts. Village life has traditionally centered around large, close family groupings. EconomyNearly two thirds of the people work in farming or fishing. The country's main exports are coconut products and fresh fish. The crops grown for food within the country include coconuts, taro, yams, and bananas and other tropical fruits. Pigs, cattle, and chickens are raised for meat. Services and manufacturing together contribute about a third of the country's income. Tourism is the most important industry in Samoa. Among the chief manufactured goods are processed foods, automobile parts, and wood products. HistorySettlementAncient pottery fragments found on Upolu Island indicate that Polynesians settled in the Samoan islands in about 1000 BC. The settlers probably came from Tonga. By about AD 200, Polynesians had begun sailing east from Samoa to settle other islands in the region. European influenceEuropeans began to arrive in the first half of the 18th century. At first the Samoans welcomed them, because they brought technology and goods. In the 1830s English missionaries came to the islands. Most of the people of Samoa converted to Christianity fairly quickly. By the 1850s a foreign settlement had sprung up around the harbor at Apia. The governments of the United States, Germany, and Great Britain began to struggle with each other for control of Samoa. They blocked attempts by the Samoans to establish their own national government. The Samoans began to resist the foreign powers. At the same time, Samoan chiefs fought each other for control. In 1899 the United States and Germany divided up the islands between themselves. The United States took control of the eastern islands (now American Samoa). Germany took the western islands, which were called Western Samoa (now Samoa). The Western Samoans did not want to be ruled by a foreign power. They were especially unhappy with the German governor's attempts to change the Samoan way of life. A Samoan independence movement called Mau (Strongly Held View) formed in 1908. Control by New ZealandIn 1914, during World War I, New Zealand troops occupied Western Samoa. An outbreak of influenza struck in 1918, killing more than 20 percent of the population. This united most of the Samoans against the New Zealand administration. In 1920 the League of Nations granted New Zealand a period of control over Western Samoa. The Mau movement continued to resist foreign rule. In response, the New Zealand government banned the movement. During a peaceful Mau demonstration in 1929, New Zealand troops shot some of the Mau supporters. As a result, the Samoans became more determined to win the struggle for independence. IndependenceIn 1935 a new government came to power in New Zealand. It recognized the Mau as a legal political organization. The Samoan independence movement continued until 1962. In that year Western Samoa won independence. In 1997 the country changed its name to Samoa. In the early 1990s two severe tropical storms called cyclones hit the nation. The cyclones caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage. The economy was hurt further in 1994, when a disease wiped out much of the country's crop of taro, a root vegetable. Taro had been the nation's chief export. The rapid growth of Samoa's tourism industry beginning in the late 1990s helped the economy begin to improve. Population (2001 estimate), 179,000. |