| Samoa, once known as the Navigator's Islands, was originally partitioned between the US and Germany. During World War I, New Zealand forces took the German islands, later administering so-called Western Samoa under a mandate declared by the League of Nations. Western Samoa achieved independence in 1962, forming a constitution-based blend of parliamentary government and traditional Samoan rule. Samoa's economy is largely dependent on tourism, forestry, fishing, and subsistence agriculture. |
