What You Need to Know About Samoa

Not surprisingly when news of yesterday's earthquake and tsunami that struck Samoa hit the news, most Americans first action was to look on a map to see where exactly Samoa is located.

Samoa actually consists of two political entities, the Independent State of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa) and the Territory of American Samoa. For many, Samoa is known as the location of the current series of CBS's hit reality series Survivor: Samoa. It will also be the location of the next series of Survivor which is currently filming there. (Reports are that all Survivor personnel are safe.

The islands of Samoa are located midway (about 2500 miles) from the Hawaiian Islands and Australia. American Samoa is located about 90 miles southeast of Independent Samoa or about 45 minutes by air.

Let's take a brief look at the two Samoa's.

Independent State of Samoa (former: Western Samoa)

_{Map Credit - Google Maps}

The former German protectorate of Western Samoa was occupied by New Zealand at the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and New Zealand continued to administer the islands until January 1, 1962 when Western Samoa regained its independence.

In 1997 the country dropped "Western" from its name. Today it is a parliamentary democracy governed from its capital city of Apia.

Independent Samoa consists of two main islands, Savaii and Upolu and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets. The islands consist of narrow coastal plains with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior.

The total area of Independent Samoa is 1093 square miles, making it slightly larger than Rhode Island. The islands have about 250 miles of coastline. The tallest point is Mauga Silisili on the island of Savaii at 6092 feet.

The population of Independent Samoa as of a July 2009 estimate is 219,998.

Territory of American Samoa

_{Main Island of Tutuila and Island of Aunu'u
Map Credit - Google Maps}

_{Manu'a Islands, Rose Atoll, and Swains Island
Map Credit - Google Maps}

In an 1899 treaty, the Samoa archipelago was divided between Germany and the United States. The US formally occupied its portion - the smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.

Today, Samoa remains an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. It maintains its own legislature and governor. American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The capital city of the Territory of American Samoa is Pago Pago, known for having one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific.

The Territory of American Samoa consists of five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, and two coral atolls. The main island is Tutuila, with the nearby island of Aunu'u, and the more distant three Manu'a Islands, Rose Atoll, and Swains Island also included in the territory.

The total area of the Territory of American Samoa is just 76 square miles, making it slightly larger than Washington, D.C. The islands have about 72 miles of coastline. The tallest point is Lata Mountain on the island of Tutuila at 3162 feet.

The population of the Territory of American Samoa as of a July 2009 estimate is 65,628.

_{Source Credit - CIA World Factbook}