Western Samoa Country & Tourist Information

Location
South Pacific.

Area
2831 sq km (1093 sq miles).

Population
182,000 (UN estimate 2005).

Population Density
64.3 per sq km.

Capital
Apia (Upolu Island).
Population: 38,180 (2001).

Government
Constitutional monarchy. Gained independence from New Zealand in 1962. 
Recent history: Political parties in the normal sense did not feature in Samoan politics until the late 1970s when a group of Fono (national assembly) members in opposition to the Government created the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) which has dominated Samoan politics ever since, winning every one of the elections held since then. Since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1991, there has always been a very high turn-out – around 90 per cent – at elections. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi’s Government won the most recent general elections in April 2006 with an increased majority.

Language
Samoan is the national language. In business and commerce, English is customary.

Religion
Congregational Church, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh Day Adventist, Assembly of God, Jehovah’s Witness and Bahai Faith.

Time
GMT - 11.

Electricity
240 volts AC, 50Hz (110 volts AC in some hotels). Three-pronged plugs are in use as in Australia and New Zealand.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi since 1998.

Head of State
HH Malietoa Tanumafili II since 1963.

Telephone
Incoming IDD is available. Country code: 685. There are no area codes. Outgoing international calls must be made through the operator.

Mobile Telephone
Samoa has its own analog mobile phone system operated by Telecom Samoa. Visitors with analog phones can be assigned a new number for the duration of their stay and calls will be charged to their credit card.

Internet
Internet and e-mail services are available in Apia and other locations around the islands.

Post
Main post office hours (located on Beach Road, Apia): Mon-Fri 0800-1630. Airmail to Europe takes about three weeks.

Press
The main English-language newspapers are Newsline, The Samoa Observer and Savali.

Radio
The SBC runs mediumwave and FM stations. Other stations include Magik FM, K-Lite FM and Talofa FM.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1-2 Jan New Year.
6-9 Apr Easter.
25 Apr ANZAC Day.
14 May Mother’s Day.
1 Jun Independence Day.
13 Aug Father’s Day. 
15 Oct Lotu-a-Tamaiti (Day after White Sunday). 
2 Nov Arbor Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2008
1-2 Jan New Year.
21-24 Mar Easter.
25 Apr ANZAC Day. 
12 May Mother’s Day.
1 Jun Independence Day.
11 Aug Father’s Day. 
13 Oct Lotu-a-Tamaiti (Day after White Sunday).
3 Nov Arbor Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Contact Information:

Samoa Tourism Authority in the UK
c/o Supereps International, High Holborn House, 52/54 High Holborn, London WC1V 6RB, UK
Tel: (020) 7242 3131.
Website: www.visitsamoa.ws

South Pacific Tourism Organization in Fiji
Street address: Level 3, FNPF Place, 343-359 Victoria Parade, Suva, Fiji
Postal address: PO Box 13119, Suva, Fiji
Tel: (679) 330 4177.
Website: www.spto.org

Embassy of Samoa in Belgium
20, Avenue de l’Oree, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: (2) 660 8454.

Permanent Mission of Samoa to the United Nations in the USA
800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400J, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 599 6196.
Website: samoa.un.int


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