Samoa

History

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.