Visitor Focus: Samoa (March 2007)
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The first visitor from the island nation of Samoa hit the Peculiar Press website in early March. Consisting of two main islands (Savaii and Upolu) and several smaller uninhabited ones, Samoa has a total land area of 1,093 square miles, making it slightly smaller than Rhode Island, and a population of about 180,000. With a moderate birthrate and an extraordinarily low death rate, Samoa's population remains stable because of immigration, primarily to New Zealand.
While Samoa is a peaceful tropical paradise today, Samoa experienced major conflicts from European nations in the nineteenth century because of its strategic mid-Pacific location. Evidence of human existence dates back at least 3000 years and initial European contact began in 1722. A major missionary effort began in the 1830s under John Williams of the London Missionary Society and today Samoa is overwhelmingly Christian. Major denominations are Congregational (35%), Catholic (20%), Methodist (15%), Mormon (13%), and Assembly of God (7%). Much of Samoan cultural life centers on church activities. Samoan moral values are reflected in advice on the official Samoan tourism website (visitsamoa.ws) that "skimpy clothing is not recommended in villages, and will cause offence."
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In the late nineteenth century, Great Britain, Germany and the United States battled for control of the islands, sending warships and supplying opposing forces in a civil war. In December 1899, the Treaty of Berlin divided the islands into German (Western) Samoa and American (Eastern) Samoa. New Zealand forces invaded Western Samoa in 1914, gaining control of the islands. For the next half century, Samoans sought independence in a non-violent movement known as Mau, although the New Zealand administration sometimes reacted violently. On December 29, 1929 - in an event that would come to be known as "Black Saturday" - ten Samoans were killed, including High Chief Tupua Tamasese Lealofi, and fifty injured when Kiwi police turned a machine-gun on protesters. Western Samoa finally regained independence in 1962. In 1997, a constitutional amendment changed the name to simply Samoa, despite protests from American Samoans.
Although poor by American standards ($2,100 per capita Gross Domestic Product), Samoans enjoy a reasonably high standard of living because of a stable economy and low inflation. Agriculture accounts for two-thirds of employment and 90% of exports, but only about 11% of the GDP. Industry consists primarily of agricultural processing, and tourism is a rapidly growing sector. Samoa has seven radio stations (two AM, five FM) and two televisions stations. The country's internet code is ws, and there are about 8,000 internet users.
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Geologically, the Samoa is typical of volcanic islands, with a narrow coastal plain fringed by coral reefs and a rugged, mountainous interior, giving the nation its two primarily natural attractions - beaches and waterfalls. Most of the beautiful waterfalls involve a bit of a hike, but are well worth the trip. Samoa does not boast extensive stretches of beach, but the island of Upolu has several small resort beaches, and a few isolated public beaches. A trip to Samoa will set you back. According travelocity.com, a ten-day trip (including four days of flying) from Los Angeles runs $2,600 per person.
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Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and other works brought his family to Western Samoa in the early 1890s, purchasing a four hundred acre plot of land on Upola and building an estate (Villa Vailima) which now houses the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. He died at age forty-four on his estate on 1894. Borne by Samoans who called him Tusitala (Teller of Tales), he was buried on a cliff overlooking the sea.
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Source: CIA World Factbook at www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/