About Samoa

Full name Independent State of Samoa. Capital City Pago Pago. Language Samoan and English. Currency US Dollar. Religion Christian. National Anthem "Samoa Tula'i" meaning 'The Banner of Freedom'. Newspaper Samoa Observer. Places to Visit Ofu, Pago Pago, Leone church, National Park of American Samoa (Ta'u) and Ofu Beach. Transport Airways: flights are available from USA West Coast, Hawaii, Tonga, Australia and New Zealand. The airlines providing the services are Hawaiian Airlines, Polynesian Airlines and Inter-Island Airways; Waterways: you can thumb-lift a yacht ride from the west coast of America and from the northeast coast of Australia. Shopping the Siapo cloth, which is made from mulberry bark and painted with indigenous dyes; mats; baskets; polished hardwood Kava drinking bowls; shell jewelry; and Samoan stamps.

Introduction : formerly called Western Samoa, the Samoa is a fragment of a chain of islands the other half of which is called the American Samoa. The original people of the islands are the Tongan Polynesians.

Samoa remained under New Zealand's dominion for 42 years; from after the World War-I in 1914 until it declared its independence in 1962. Location of Samoa : the Samoa islands are located in the group of islands that are better known as Oceania. The water body encircling the Samoa islands is the South Pacific Islands. The closest land mass to Samoa is Hawaii and new Zealand.

Physical Map of Samoa : the Samoa islands are made up of two main islands: the Savaii and the Upolu, along with several other atolls. The islands being originally volcanic in origin, the terrain of the land masses are rugged, rocky and mountainous. The coastal regions, on the other hand, comprise of narrow plains. The main islands themselves are surrounded by coral reefs. The highest region on the islands is Mt. Sisisili.

Climate of Samoa : to describe the climatic conditions is of Samoa is to call it a tropical island. The summer months in the island are warm, wet and humid. It is during these months that the islands receive rainfall.

These summer months last between the months of late-November and April. Winters in the islands, on the other hand are pleasant and dry. The winter months are mid-May to November. Cyclones too are not an infrequent phenomenon in the islands.

Flora and Fauna of Samoa : Flora : flora in Samoa is typically tropical. However, there is also a rich diversity in the species that exist in the island-nation. The types of vegetative habitats in the islands are mangrove forests, moss forest, mountain scrub and rain forests. The commonly available species are pandanus, barringtonia and hibiscus.

Fauna : animal life on the islands is relatively restricted to rats and various species of flying foxes. However, snakes, lizards and geckos are quite common; as are insects. The islands plays host to an enormous number of birds. There are some 50 species of birds that call the island their home. Of these 16 are migratory seabirds. Of the land varieties, the common ones are pigeons, doves, parrots, wild ducks and tooth-billed pigeon.


PEOPLE OF PITCAIRN ISLAND : The total population of the country is almost 45. Pitcairn is a very small island. The Bounty mutineers' descendants form the majority of the country. The official language of the country is English. However, Pitcairnese is also widely spoken in the various regions of the country.

ART, CULTURE AND MUSIC OF PITCAIRN ISLAND :

•  Art : Cane works; woodcarvings, handcrafted wooden magnets etc are practiced in this country. Besides that painting is also considered as an important section of art. Longboats are also made in various pats of the country.

•  Culture : Pitcairn Island has developed a diverse cultural atmosphere. Tahitian influence can be percieved in the tradition of Pitcairn Island. English influence can also be seen in the music and ance of the country.

•  Music : The music of the island country reflects the influence of New Zealand and Peru. Music and dance are two integral parts of the country's cultural. The folk music is still very popular.

Flag of Samoa

FLAG OF PITCAIRN ISLAND : The flag of Pitcairn Island is very colorful. It features the flag of UK in the upper corner of the hoist side. The other half of the flag bears the coat of arms of Pitcairn Island in the center. The coat of arms has three colors i.e. green, yellow and light blue. It bears a shield that features an anchor colored is yellow.

ECONOMY OF PITCAIRN ISLAND : Fishing and farming are two integral parts of the economy of Pitcairn Island. Besides those handicrafts is also an occupation in this island. The natural resources of the country are miro trees and different varieties of fishes. However, iron, copper, manganese, gold, zinc, silver etc are also being found in this country. The primary agricultural products are honey, wide variety of fruits, vegetables etc. The fast growing industries are handicraft industry, postage stamps industry, beekeeping industry, honey industry and so on. The materials that are exported to foreign countries are machinery, sugar, building materials, fuel oil, flour etc.