n Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi
TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA];
Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party
or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or
SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197
FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: none; US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited
to Samoa
embassy: Accident Corporation Building, 5th Floor, Matafele, Apia
mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Matafele, Apia
telephone: [685] 21436/21631/21452/22696
FAX: [685] 22030

Flag description:

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing
five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross
constellation

Economy
Samoa

Economy - overview:

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development
aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The
country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs
two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90% of exports,
featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The fish catch
declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to normal by
mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural
products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people
to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in
Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of
GDP; 116,000 tourists visited the islands in 2006. The Samoan
Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector,
encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while
at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the
flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future
economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy
state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.029