Samoa
Samoa (Western Samoa until 1997, German Samoa from 1900 to 1914) is a country comprising a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
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| National motto: Xxxxx | |||||
| Official languages | Samoan, English | ||||
| Capital | Apia | ||||
| Capital's coordinates | 13° 35' S, 172° 20' W | ||||
| monarch/president | Xxxxx | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 165th 2,944 km² 0.3% | ||||
| Population
- Total (2003) - Density | Ranked 173th
178,173 60/km² | ||||
| Independence
- date | from New Zealand
January 1, 1962 | ||||
| Currency | tala (WST) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -11 | ||||
| National anthem | The Banner of Freedom | ||||
| Internet TLD | .ws | ||||
| Calling Code | 685 | ||||
| Table of contents |
|
2 Politics 3 (Subdivisions) 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 External Links |
Settled as early as 1000 BC, Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago.
Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, in August 1914, New Zealand sent an expeditionary force to sieze and occupy German Samoa. This was to stop German Samoa being used a naval refueling base in the Pacific. The German forces on the islands did not surrender, nor did they put up a fight.
German Samoa was renamed Western Samoa, New Zealand continued the occupation of Western Samoa throughout World War I. In 1919, under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany dropped its claims to the islands and they were granted to New Zealand as a mandate.
New Zealand administered Western Samoa under the auspices of the League of Nations and then as a United Nations trusteeship until the country received its independence on January 1, 1962 as Western Samoa. Making Samoa the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century.
History
Main article: History of SamoaPolitics
Main article: Politics of SamoaGeography
Main article: Geography of SamoaEconomy
Main article: Economy of Samoa
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | ||
| The Friday before Easter Sunday | Good Friday | ||
| First Sunday after the first full moon since the vernal equinox | Easter Sunday | ||
| The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday | ||
| April 25 | Anzac Day | ||
| Mothers of Samoa Day | |||
| Independence Day | |||
| Labour Day | |||
| Lotu a Tamaiti | day after White Sunday | ||
| Arbor Day | |||
| December 25 | Christmas Day | ||
| December 26 | Boxing Day |
Miscellaneous topics
External Links
