April
1988)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the head of state with the prime
minister's advice

Legislative branch: unicameral
Legislative Assembly (Fono): elections last held 5 April 1991 (next to
be held by NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -
(47 total) HRPP 28, SNDP 18, independents 1
note: only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative
Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP),
TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman; Samoan National Development Party
(SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman

Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU,
SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADE
chancery: 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197
FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to
Western Samoa
embassy: 5th floor, Beach Road, Apia
mailing address: P.O. Box 3430, Apia
telephone: [685] 21631
FAX: [685] 22030

Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant
bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross
constellation

@Western Samoa:Economy

Overview: Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force,
contributes 50% to GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports. The bulk of
export earnings comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The
economy depends on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a
level of imports much greater than export earnings. Tourism has become
the most important growth industry. The economy continued to falter in
1994, as remittances and tourist earnings remained low. Production of
taro, the primary food export crop, has dropped 97% since a fungal
disease struck the crop in 1993. The rapid growth in 1994 of the giant
African snail population in Western Samoa is also threatening the
country's basic food crops, such as bananas and coconuts.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $400 million (1992
est.)

National product real growth rate: -4.3% (1992 est.)

National product per capita: $2,000 (1992 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%