Everything you need to know about Samoa: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more
Samoa: Beautiful Polynesian Island in the South Pacific
The scenic islands of Samoa are located in the South Pacific Ocean near New Zealand and separate from the American Samoa that are under American control since the 1899 treaty between Britain, US and New Zealand. The Polynesians formerly inhabited the Samoa or the Western Samoa in 1000 BC and the Europeans led by the Dutch and French traders reached Samoa Islands only in the 18th Century. Samoa was the scene of muted rivalry between Germany, New Zealand and US and by the treaty of 1899 Germany got hold of the Western Samoa only to be taken over by New Zealand in 1914. The Samoa inhabitants launched an independence struggle locally known as the Mau against German and New Zealand occupation and gained independence in 1962. Presently the island country of Samoa is a Constitutional Monarchy with a elected legislative assembly and in 1997 the country changed its name to the Independent State of Samoa.
Samoa Facts and Figures:
The Samoan Islands have a volcanic origin and are still some active volcanoes erupt occasionally on the island. Samoans enjoy tropical climate with no major seasonal variations during the summers and winters. Also the days and nights in Samoa are of equal duration.
Samoa Economy:
Samoan economy is still traditional and agriculture dependent with major exports like coconut cream, coconut oil, noni and copra. Samoa has many banana plantations for exporting bananas to New Zealand, which has a large captive market for bananas. But the Samoan government has recently begun to diversify its economy and tap into the vast tourism potential that the country holds.
Samoa Culture:
Samoans have successfully preserved their traditional traditions and way of life despite of centuries of alien rule. Even though majority of the Samoans have embraced Christianity it has been integrated with their fa’a Samoa or the traditional customs and rituals. Samoans believe in mutual respect or fa’aaloalo towards each other and believe in communal living with least privacy and maximum trust. No wonder then Samoan homes are without walls rather are covered by blinds constructed from coconut pals fonds. The Samoans, just like other Polynesian, also have many unique tattoos like the tatau for males and teine for females. Siva is the traditional dance of the Samoans, which is similar to the hula dance form of the Hawaii islanders.
Samoa Tourist Attractions:
Samoa Islands are largely a virgin group of Islands whose beauty is waiting to be tapped. It has many exciting places to offer like the Papapapaitai Falls in the capital Apia that plunges 500 feet into a volcanic cater. Tourists should also visit the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in Apia to know more of the life and times of the legendary poet whose burial site is also at the museum.
Other Places to see in Samoa:
I was watching the international TV news the other day when I realized something huge was missing: there was no mention of the Eastern half of the world, home of 60 percent of the world's population.
Washington, Apr. 3 (ANI): Samoa Air has become the first airline in the world to charge passengers by weight.
New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) 'Solar grandmothers' from as far as Africa and Latin America Friday marked International Women's Day with song and dance as they celebrated the Indian government's unique initiative that has helped light up their lives and homes and of many others.
Washington, Feb 6 (ANI): Researchers are working on methods to improve the designs of buildings in areas that are vulnerable to tsunamis, according to a report.
Washington, Jan 19 (IANS) President Barack Obama may not be there, but Indian-Americans are nevertheless going to have a ball Saturday night to mark the second-term inauguration of the man the community voted overwhelmingly for.
Accra, Aug 23 (IANS) Indian engineering major Shapoorji Pallonji has pledged $2,631 to promote cricket in Ghana and help it prepare for an international tournament in Western Samoa.
Accra, Aug 23 (IANS) Indian engineering major Shapoorji Pallonji has pledged $2,631 to promote cricket in Ghana and help it prepare for an international tournament in Western Samoa.
Washington, Aug 13 (IANS) Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard has a great chance to become the first Hindu member of the US House of Representatives in 2013 with her primary victory in a safe Democratic seat.
Wellington, Aug. 10 (Xinhua-ANI): A floating mass of the volcanic rock, pumice, reportedly covering 25,000 square km, has been found floating in the South Pacific, indicating a third volcano is active near New Zealand.
London, July 19 (ANI): Researchers have created a collection of "bryologs" - derived from a tiny marine organism, that been shown to activate latent HIV reservoirs with equal or greater potency than the original substance.
Sydney, June 14 (ANI): Australian weightlifter Daniel Koum could face extortion charges if the allegation of a 5000 dollar cash demand to the Australian Weightlifting Federation is proved.
Sydney, June 13 (ANI): Australian weightlifter Daniel Koum has said he has been let down by the sport's governing body, which claims he ransomed Australia's Olympic hopes over a 5000 dollar cash demand.
Washington, June 2 (ANI): Children who are exposed to open-fire cooking in developing countries experience difficulty with memory, problem-solving and social skills, a new study has revealed.
Washington, Apr 18 (ANI): Inadequate sleep may put people at risk of obesity, according to a new study.
Wellington, Apr 12(ANI): Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu, who played for Samoa at the Rugby World Cup, has slammed the racist tirade directed at Auckland Blues coach Pat Lam after a series of poor performances by the team.
London, March 5 (ANI): Guys, shave off your beard before going on a blind date.
London, March 5 (ANI): Guys, shave off your beard before going on a blind date.
London, Dec 29 (ANI): 30th December will be a day that never existed for the natives of an island in the Pacific Ocean, as it will make a historic leap across the international dateline.
New Delhi, Dec 12 (ANI): Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma will be attending the 'Eighth Ministerial Conference' of World Trade Organization to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from December 15 to 17.
London, Oct.1 (ANI): A Samoan rugby player, Eliota Sapolu Fuimaono, who compared the World Cup to "slavery", was at the centre of another row on Saturday when he accused a referee of being racist and biased in an expletive-filled Twitter rant.
Melbourne, Sept 20 (ANI): A survey on the hottest rugby players has shown that the Wallabies are no longer a favourite of New Zealand women, as not even one made it to the top ten of the list.
Nevada (US), May 26 (ANI): Hindus are upset at the depiction of the image of Lord Shiva in Nataraja form on leggings, harem-pants and skirts, by internationally acclaimed "Manish Arora" fashion label, which they termed repugnant.
Washington, March 29 (ANI): A cross-cultural study of attitudes toward obesity has found that stigma against overweight people is becoming a cultural norm around the world, even in places where larger bodies have traditionally been valued.
Apia, Mar 22 (ANI): Samoa's newly re-elected Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has outraged feminist groups in the country by claiming that the appointment of one female MP in his cabinet is "more than enough".
Wellington, Dec 28 (ANI): A new research has suggested that East Polynesia was colonised by humans more recently, and faster, than previously thought.
New Delhi, Oct 5(ANI): The Delhi Commonwealth Games organizers have dismissed talks that locals are boycotting the event, and insisted that the spectator turnout at venues will pick up soon.
Sydney, Oct 4 (ANI): After Sunday's grand Commonwealth Games opening, the organizers are now busy with meeting fresh security and other concerns that have left referees without basics such as uniforms.
New Delhi, Oct 3(ANI): New Zealand netball player Laura Langman has denied talks that the netball tournament at the Delhi Commonwealth Games was "highly doubtful".
New Delhi, Sep (ANI): As many as 850 athletes and officials are expected to arrive in Delhi today to showcase their talent at the 2010 Commonwealth Games from October 3-14.
London, Aug 19 (ANI): Scientists have found that the massive earthquake that struck the South Pacific on September 29, 2009 was a combination of two earthquakes - one with magnitude 8.1, which then triggered another magnitude 8 earthquake seconds later on a different fault.
London, July 26 (ANI): The Plastiki, a boat made out of 12,500 recycled plastic bottles, completed its tour after it docked at the Sydney Harbour.
Auckland, Apr. 3 (ANI): In the hope of easily finding work in New Zealand, Asian job-seekers are not only Anglicising their first names but also abandoning their traditional surnames all-together.
Washington, Feb 5 (ANI): While it is still difficult to explain how male homosexuality has risen naturally, as these men are much less likely to produce offspring than heterosexual men, scientists believe they probably convey an indirect benefit by enhancing the survival prospects of close relatives.
London, December 26 (ANI): Experts have determined that even after five years of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Indonesia, local communities are not well prepared to face such a disaster, despite the fact that the technology is in place.
Washington, December 18 (ANI): A team of marine scientists gas discovered the deepest undersea erupting volcano, which is nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, in an area bounded by Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
Washington, Nov 13 (ANI): A new cross-cultural study has shown that societal and technological changes do affect children's thinking skills.
Sydney, Oct.18 (ANI): Teenage Queensland adventurer Jessica Watson has finally set sail on her quest to becoming the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
Sydney, October 12 (ANI): A recent cluster of large earthquakes in the South Pacific has led some scientists to wonder if one quake triggers another.
Wellington, October 3 (ANI): Researchers studying the evolution of culture have said that the analysis of Polynesian canoe design suggests New Zealand was at least partially settled from Hawaii.
Sydney, October 1 (ANI): Scientists have determined that the tsunami that devastated the islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga in 2004 was the result of a shallow rupture in the earth's crust.
Jakarta, Oct.1 (ANI): A second earthquake was recorded shortly before noon (AEST) today in Padang, Indonesia.
Sydney, Sep 30 (ANI): The tsunami death toll triggered by an 8.3 magnitude earthquake, which rocked Samoa and other Pacific islands, could reach 100, according to Red Cross and media reports.
Washington, May 21 (ANI): Stanford University scientists have found evidence that some coral reefs are adapting to the climate change and may actually survive global warming.
Suva (Fiji), Apr.17 (ANI): Fiji dictator Colonel Voreqe Bainimarama has claimed that his new "legal order" is the future of the island nation.
Wellington, April 9 (DPA) A 29-year-old woman who gave birth on an international flight to New Zealand last month admitted Thursday to abandoning the baby girl in an aircraft toilet.
Wellington, March 25 (DPA) A 29-year-old Samoan woman who gave birth on a flight to New Zealand was charged Wednesday with abandoning her baby girl in an aircraft toilet.
London, March 20 (ANI): A major 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off the Tonga islands region has led local radio stations to issue a tsunami warning for Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
Wellington, March 19 (DPA) A woman gave birth Thursday during a flight to Auckland from Apia on the Pacific island of Samoa and then left the baby behind when she got off the plane, news reports said.
London, Dec 25 (ANI): Scientists have discovered a new fish in the deep waters between Samoa and New Zealand, which is the first vertebrate found with eyes that use mirrors, rather than a lens, to focus light.
Wellington, Nov 21 (DPA) A Royal New Zealand Air Force plane resumed a search Friday for 29 missing Taiwanese fishermen after their burned-out boat was found floating in the South Pacific.
Washington, Nov 4 (IANS) Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain's final race for the magic figure of 270 electoral votes begins Tuesday with over 200 million Americans straddling nine time zones going to the polls over 19 hours.
Kuching (Malaysia), Oct 18 (IANS) The Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) Saturday resolved to fight curbs on media freedom from 'despots masquerading as politicians', mainly in the developing nations.
New Delhi, Aug 14 (ANI/Business Wire India): Asia's leading sports broadcaster, ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) today announced a new long-term deal for the exclusive rights to broadcast TNA Wrestling across the Indian subcontinent including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives.
Washington, July 8 (ANI): Almost 50 percent of U.S. coral reef ecosystems are in 'poor' or 'fair' condition, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report.
