esertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

People Samoa

Population:
176,908 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 23,492/female 22,653)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 74,202/female 44,894)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 5,299/female 6,368) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.2 years
male: 28.1 years
female: 22 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.2% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
16.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
6.62 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-11.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.65 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71 years
male: 68.2 years
female: 73.94 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.94 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3

Nationality:
noun: Samoan(s)
adjective: Samoan

Ethnic groups:
Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian
blood), Europeans 0.4%

Religions:
Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%,
Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist
3.5%, other Christian 4.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other 1.7%,
unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Languages:
Samoan (Polynesian), English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

Government Samoa

Country name:
conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa
conventional short form: Samoa
local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa
local short form: Samoa
former: Western Samoa

Government type:
mix of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

Capital:
name: Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 45W
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washin