Western Samoa

 

A state in the western part of the Samoa archipelago (two large islands - Savai and Upolu, two small ones - Manono and Apolima and several small islands), located in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. The total area is 2.8 thousand square meters. km. Population - 152 thousand (1977), mostly Polynesian Samoans. The capital is Apia (on the island of Upolu, over 30 thousand). The official languages ​​are Samoan and English. About 50% of the believers are Protestants, the rest are mainly Catholics. On the Samoan islands, located at the crossroads of the Pacific trade routes, Europeans began to penetrate in the 18th century. At the end of 1899, the United States, Britain and Germany entered into a series of agreements, according to which the United States established control over Eastern Samoa, and Germany - over Western Samoa. England renounced Samoa in exchange for recognition of its claims in other parts of the Pacific. In August 1914, New Zealand, which had long intended to annex Western Samoa, landed its troops there. After the end of World War I, the League of Nations gave her a mandate to govern the islands, and after World War II, Western Samoa became a UN Trust Territory under New Zealand administration. Since the 20s. The Samoans waged an active struggle for independence, which in 1929 grew into an open uprising, suppressed by the New Zealand authorities. The independence movement resumed with renewed vigor after the Second World War and culminated in the proclamation of Western Samoa on 1.1 1962 as a sovereign state. Western Samoa is a state within the Commonwealth of Nations. According to the constitution, the head of state for life is Malietoa Tanumafili II. After his death, the head of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of 5 years. The executive power belongs to the government. The highest legislative body is the Legislative Assembly. There are no political parties or trade unions. Under the agreement with New Zealand, all foreign relations of the country outside Oceania are carried out mainly through the New Zealand diplomatic representatives. In recent years, Western Samoa has established diplomatic relations with a number of countries, including the USSR . The main sectors of the economy are agriculture and fishing. Cultivated: coconut palm, bananas, cocoa, taro, breadfruit, etc. The industry is represented by small enterprises for the processing of agricultural products. The timber industry is developing. Tourism has grown significantly in recent years. Main export products: copra, cocoa, bananas. Major trading partners: New Zealand, Australia, USA, Japan, Netherlands. The monetary unit is the tala (Western Samoan dollar). Tala 0.7 of Western Samoa = $ 1 (1978).