Samoa

Polynesia's cradle

Nation: Samoa National Day:

Samoa is also called "Polynesia's cradle": The Polynesians are supposed to be from this group of islands. In 1899, Germany turned the islands into a colony, at the beginning of the World War I it was occupied by New Zealand in the name of the Allies.

In 1962, West-Samoa was the first nation in the South Pacific to declare its independence. In 1997, she gave herself her current name. Politically the state is divided into independent West-Samoa and the American territory of East- and American-Samoa.

The country is known for its wooden sculptures that depict the people on the island. In the framework of the joint presentation of the Pacific island states at the EXPO, Samoa shows a selection of these sculptures on an island.