Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: claimed and administered by Morocco, but
sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a
referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in
effect since September 1991
______________________________________________________________________

WESTERN SAMOA

@Western Samoa:Geography

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 13 35 S, 172 20 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 2,860 sq km
land: 2,850 sq km
water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 403 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to
October)

Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains
in interior

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m

Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish

Land use:
arable land : 19%
permanent crops: 24%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 47%
other: 10%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Environment - current issues: soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified : none of the selected agreements

@Western Samoa:People

Population: 219,509 (July 1997 est.)
note: other estimates range as low as 162,000

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (male 44,281; female 42,876)
15-64 years: 56% (male 64,433; female 59,006)
65 years and over : 4% (male 4,225; female 4,688) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.34% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 30.4 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.63 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 33 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 69.09 years
male: 66.7 years
female : 71.6