|REconomy:|N 67% of the population is occupied in agriculture, mainly in selfsubsistent households. Most important crops are coconuts, bananas, cacao, taro and coffee.
Fishing and forestry also important industries.
Some manufacturing for refining of the agricultural products and the forests.
Most important exportgoods are copra and coffee.
|RHistory:|N First visited by Europeans in the 18th century. The islands were united in one nation 1879 and 1899 divided as colonies of Germany and the USA.
During World War I they were occupied by New Zealand. After the war a New Zealand mandate under the League of Nations, from 1945 under the UN.
1920 the islands had internal selfgoverning with a locally elected government.
In 1962 Western Samoa became an independent nation, the first in the Polynesia.