Western Samoa which lies in the south-west Pacific Ocean was visited by the Dutch in the early eighteenth century. The territory came under German rule at the end of the nineteenth century and then following the First World War New Zealand received a mandate to administer the territory on behalf of the League of Nations . After the Second World War Western Samoa continued to be administered by New Zealand but this time as a UN Trust Territory. In 1962 independence was gained and in 1970 formal admission to the Commonwealth was secured. The economy is based on subsistence agriculture; bananas, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, yams, taro, and breadfruit are grown. Tourism is a rapidly developing industry. Christianity is the main religion; Samoan and English are the official languages.
