Countries

Samoa

Samoa is a Polynesian nation of two main volcanic islands, Upolu and Savai'i, in the South Pacific. Independent from New Zealand since 1962, the first Pacific island country to regain independence, it keeps strong traditions of fa'a Samoa, the Samoan way.

An open thatched fale on the shore at sunrise, with a palm silhouetted against the sea, Samoa

A fale on the Upolu coast

Photo: Sandra Oja, CC BY-SA 4.0

Red for courage, blue for freedom, white for purity. The five stars form the Southern Cross, the constellation that guided Pacific navigators. Adopted in 1949.

How it has changed

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