Samoa Information

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.