Travel to Samoa

Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country comprising a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Previous names were German Samoa from 1900 to 1919, and Western Samoa from 1914 to 1997. It was recognized by the United Nations on 15 December 1976 (UN members) as Samoa. The entire group was known as Navigators Islands before the 20th century because of the Samoans' excellent seafaring skills. It has a population of 176,710 (2001 census).

The country is located east of the international dateline and south of the equator, about halfway between Hawai'i and New Zealand in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. The Samoas are of volcanic origin, and the total land area is 2934 km², consisting of the two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i which account for 96% of the total land area, and eight small islets: Manono, Apolima, Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Namua, Fanuatapu, Nu'usafe'e, and Nu'ulopa. While all of the islands have volcanic origins, only Savai'i has had recent eruptions and could be considered volcanically active: the last major eruption occurred in the 1700s, and smaller eruptions occurred in the first decade of the twentieth century. The highest point in Samoa is Mauga Silisili, at 1858 m. The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population, and its capital city is Apia. The climate is tropical, with an average annual temperature of 26.5 °C, and a rainy season from November to April.

Samoans are typically friendly and welcoming people. They have a distinct culture in which they have great pride. Samoans have a communal way of life with little privacy: they do all their activities together and even traditional fales (houses) have no walls, and just use blinds made of coconut leaves during the night or bad weather.

Sundays are traditionally a day of rest, and many families congregate to share an umu together for a Sunday afternoon meal. Samoa is a deeply religious country despite ancient Samoan culture being contrary to the Church's beliefs, for example, belief in aitu (spirits). Christianity is the main religion and there are many churches to be found around the islands, and are often full on Sundays [citation needed].

Samoan handicrafts can be found at the craft market and some shops. These include the siapo (equivalent to the Fijian tapa) which is made from beaten mulberry bark, and then patterns or pictures are painted on with a natural brown dye. The traditional Samoan dance is the Siva. This is similar to the Hawaiian dance, with gentle movements of the hands and feet in time to music and which tells a story.

Traditional Samoan medicine is often practised as a first-line before hospital medicine. This is a type of alternative medicine using plant leaves to massage the affected area.

The traditional women’s clothing is the puletasi which is a matching skirt and tunic with Samoan designs. Some men have intricate and geometrical patterns tattooed onto their lower body and upper legs.

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