Samoa

Samoa (Western Samoa until 1997) is a country comprising a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

Settled as early as 1000 BC, Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago.

Samoa became independent on January 1, 1962; the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century.

• History of Samoa
• Geography of Samoa
• Demographics of Samoa
• Politics of Samoa
• Economy of Samoa
• Communications in Samoa
• Transportation in Samoa
• Military of Samoa
• Foreign relations of Samoa

Much of the information in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

• See also: American Samoa, Caramel deLites