Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country comprising a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Previous names were German Samoa from 1900 to 1919, and Western Samoa from 1914 to 1997. It was recognized by the United Nations on 15 December 1976 (UN members) as Samoa. The entire group was known as Navigators Islands before the 20th century because of the Samoans' excellent seafaring skills. It has a population of 176,710 (2001 census).
Politics of Samoa takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic, whereby the Prime Minister of Samoa is the head of government, and of a pluriform multiparty system. The Head of State is His Highness Mālietoa Tanumafili II. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the Fono. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The country is located east of the international dateline and south of the equator, about halfway between Hawai'i and New Zealand in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. The Samoas are of volcanic origin, and the total land area is 2934 km²(slightly smaller than the U.S state of Rhode Island), consisting of the two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i which account for 96% of the total land area, and eight small islets: Manono, Apolima, Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Namua, Fanuatapu, Nu'usafe'e, and Nu'ulopa. While all of the islands have volcanic origins, only Savai'i has had recent eruptions and could be considered volcanically active: the last major eruption occurred in the 1700s, and smaller eruptions occurred in the first decade of the twentieth century. The highest point in Samoa is Mauga Silisili, at 1858 m. The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population, and its capital city is Apia. The climate is tropical, with an average annual temperature of 26.5 °C, and a rainy season from November to April.
