Traveling Luck for Samoa. Samoa, Oceania

Samoa is located in Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.

Land in Samoa is two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior.

Samoan land covers an area of 2944 square kilometers which is slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Samoan flag Samoan national flag (Flag of Samoa)

As for the Samoan climate; tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October).

Samoan(s) speak Samoan (Polynesian), English.

Places of note in Samoa

Samoan Map Samoan map

Regions of Samoa

New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.

Country Profile for Samoa

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 manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. The decline of fish stocks in the area is a continuing problem. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 88,000 tourists visited the islands in 2001. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. 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.

Samoan natural resources include hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

Samoan religion is 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).

Natural hazards in Samoa include occasional typhoons; active volcanism.

Travel Advice for Samoa

Samoa

This advice has been reviewed and reissued.  The overall level of the advice has not changed.

SUMMARY

  • There is no resident British diplomatic mission in Samoa.  In case of emergency, you should contact the Honorary British Consul in Samoa.  Please see the General section of this travel advice for contact details.

  • You should avoid driving out of built up areas at night.

  • Most visits to Samoa are trouble-free but incidents of petty theft are fairly common. The majority of cases for which British nationals require consular assistance in Samoa are due to replacing lost or stolen passports.

  • The tropical storm season in Samoa normally runs from November to April. Please see the Natural Disasters section of this Travel Advice and Hurricanes for more information.

  • The threat from terrorism in Samoa is low, but you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

  • We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. Please see: Travel Insurance.


SAFETY AND SECURITY

NATURAL DISASTERS
Samoa is located in a seismic zone and is subject to earthquakes.  On 3 May 2006, an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale was recorded 95 miles off the coast of Tonga.  Tsunami alerts were earlier in place for Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Hawaii.  On 28 September 2006, another earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale was recorded 185 miles south west of Samoa.
The tropical storm season in Samoa runs from November to April.  You should monitor local and international weather updates from World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).  You can also access http://www.met.gov.fj for updates.  Please also see Hurricanes for more detailed information about what to do if you are caught up in a tropical storm.


GENERAL

If things go wrong when overseas, please see:  What We Can Do To Help.
There is no resident British diplomatic Mission in Samoa.
In case of emergency contact Mr R Barlow, The Honorary British Consul in Samoa, C/- Kruse, Enari & Barlow, Barristers & Solicitors, P O Box 2029, 2nd Floor NPF Building, Beach Road, Central Apia, SAMOA, (Tel: +685 21895) (Fax: +685 21407).
E-mail:  barlowlaw@keblegal.ws.
Routine consular matters are covered by the British High Commission in Wellington.

If you require a new passport, application forms can be downloaded from the Internet or obtained from the Honorary British Consul.  You should send your completed passport application by courier to the British High Commission in Wellington, New Zealand (contact details can be found on the FCO Travel Advice: New Zealand).  Where possible, you are advised to apply at least one month before your passport is due to expire.  We strongly advise you to keep a photocopy of the relevant pages of your passport, to avoid any complications.