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World > Oceania > Samoa
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Samoa |
Introduction:
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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.
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| Official name: |
Independent State of Samoa |
| Capital: |
name: Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 44 W
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Government type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Population: |
214,265
note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages: |
Samoan (Polynesian), English |
| Official Currency: |
Samoan Tala (WST) |
| Currency code: |
WST |
| Area: |
total: 2,944 sq km
land: 2,934 sq km
water: 10 sq km |
| Climate: |
tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October) |
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Map of Samoa
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