Location | |
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Quick Facts | |
Capital | Apia |
Government | Constitutional monarchy under native chief |
Currency | Tala (WST) |
Area | total: 2,944 sq km
water: 10 sq km land: 2,934 sq km |
Population | 178,631 (July 2002 est.) |
Language | Samoan (Polynesian), English |
Religion | 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) |
Calling Code | +685 |
Internet TLD | .ws |
Time Zone | UTC -11 |
Samoa is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. It is part of the region of the Pacific known as Polynesia. Its population is around 185,000 but many more Samoans live outside the country, particularly in New Zealand, Australia and California.
Samoa is about one-half of the way between Hawaii and New Zealand. The islands have narrow coastal plains with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in the interior. The two main islands are Upolu and Savaii. The capital, Apia, and the international airport are on Upolu.