SAMOA
(Independent State of Samoa)

Capital: Apia

Flag: the top left quarter of a flag blue also has five white, five-beam stars representing the Southern Cross; other part of a flag red.

Slogan: Svoboda's flag.

MONETARY BLOCK: The Samoan tala ($ ws) - paper currency in the 100th hay. There are coins from 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 hay and 1 tala and notes of 2, 5, 10, 20 and 100 tala. ws of $1 = us of $0.35962 (or us of $1 = ws of $2.7807) as of 2004.

WEIGHT AND MEASURES: are used British the weight and a measure.

HOLIDAYS: New year, on January 1-2; Independence Holidays (first three working days of June); Put Anzak, on April 25; Christmas, on December 25; Day of gifts, on December 26. Moveable religious feasts - Good Friday, Easter Monday and Uitmondey.

TIME: 1 hour.

ARRANGEMENT, SIZE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Samoa consists of the islands of Savaii and Upolu and several small islands from which only Manono and Apolima live. The country located almost centrally both in the Pacific Ocean and among islands of the Southern sea, has the total land area in 2944 sq.km (1,137 quarter. Miles), 150 km long (93 miles) and also 39 km (24 miles) of B-SSW. Savai'i and Upolu divided the Apolimy Strait at distance of nearly 18 km (11 miles) have the combined coastline of 403 km (250 miles). Rather, the space occupied by Samoa is a little less, than a condition of Rhode Island.

TOPOGRAPHY

Located on the Pacific tectonic plate near border of the Australian plate, the country is in the region of "Fire Ring", seismically active group surrounding the Pacific Ocean. Therefore islands are volcanic by origin, and coral reeves surround most of them. On both islands strong volcanic ridges grow. Volcanoes to Savaii are included by Mauga Afi and Mauga Silisili, last of which is the highest point in Samoa, with height of 1857 m (6 094 feet). Mauga Fito - the highest point to Upolu, height is 1116 m (3660 feet). On both islands there is a set of the fast, seasonal rivers.

Apoliya - a volcanic crater which wall is penetrated by the pass connecting its harbor to the sea. Manono, about 70 m (230 feet), consists mainly of coral sand. These two islands are in borders of the Apolima Strait. In the region there are also several diving volcanoes.

CLIMATE

The climate is tropical, but because of the oceanic environment the range of temperatures is small. The hottest month - December, and the coldest - July; average daytime temperature is about 27 °C (81 °F). Year is divided into a dry season (from May to October) and a rainy season (from November to April). Average draft is 287 cm (113 inches) a year, and average annual relative humidity makes 83%. Though islands lie out of a normal way of hurricanes, severe gales happened in 1889, 1966 and 1968. Trade winds from the southeast are quite constant during the dry season.