Pre-Trip Information

 

The country of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa, consists of two main volcanic islands-Savai'i and Upolu-along with numerous very small islands. The chain lies about 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, 800 miles west of Fiji, and 1,800 miles northeast of New Zealand. The eastern portion of the Samoan island chain, 80 miles away, forms the territory of American Samoa.

 

Apart from Apia, the capital and commercial center, the country has no major towns. Most people live in some 400 coastal villages, with populations ranging from 100 to more than 2,000. The total population is less than 200,000.

 

Samoa has been inhabited for about 3,000 years, and early Samoans sailed to many other Pacific islands to become the ancestral stock of the Polynesian people. Today, Samoans are the second largest Polynesian group, after the Maoris of New Zealand. Europeans and people of mixed European and Polynesian ancestry make up other ethnic groups withing the Samoan population.  About 3,200 foreign nationals also live in Samoa.

Samoan is the language of this country and it is related to Polynesian and Tongan. English is also spoken in Samoa. The oral histories and traditions of Samoa date back to about 1250 C.E.

 

 

 

By the late 1700s, Samoa began to attract a motley collection of European settlers, including deserting sailors and escaped convicts. However, within a few decades the most concerted European influence was that of Christian missionaries. Eventually, missionaries succeeded in thoroughly Christianizing the Samoans, rendering the islands one of the most devout centers for practice of the Christian faith in the Pacific region. Major denominations, and the percentage of the population adhering to them, include: Congregational, 43 percent; Roman Catholic; 21 percent; Methodist, 17 percent; Latter Day Saints (Mormon), 10 percent.

 

 

Samoans have tended to retain their traditional ways despite exposure to European influence for more than 150 years. Most Samoans live within the traditional social system based on the "aiga," or extended family group, headed by a "matai," or chief. The title of "matai" is conferred upon any eligible member of the group, including women, with the common consent of the "aiga." In addition to representing the "aiga" in village and district "fono" (councils), the "matai" is responsible for the general welfare of the "aiga" and directs the use of family lands and other assets.

The population of Samoa has a life expectancy at birth of 71.58 years of age  (68.76 years for males and 74.55 years for females), according to recent estimates. Samoa has an infant mortality rate of 25.04 deaths/1,000 live births. In terms of literacy, 99 percent of the population, age 15 and over, can read and write.  About  5.7 percent of GDP is spent in this country on educational expenditures. About seven percent of GDP is spend on health expenditures. Access to sanitation, water,  and health care is considered to be good.


Human Development

One notable measure used to determine a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which has been compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a recent ranking of 177 countries, the HDI placed Samoa in the medium human development category, at 77th place. The country, however, was omitted from the most recent HDI ranking.

Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and up dated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.