Samoa — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Samoa: capital Apia, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Samoa is in Oceania. Its capital is Apia.

Climate

Tropical; rainy season from November to April; dry season from May to October

Two main volcanic islands with narrow coastal plains; rugged volcanic mountains in the interior

Samoa was the first Pacific island nation to gain independence in 1962.

In 2011, Samoa switched its time zone by skipping December 30, jumping from UTC-11 to UTC+13.

Robert Louis Stevenson spent his last years in Samoa and is buried on Mount Vaea overlooking Apia.

1000: Polynesian navigators settle the Samoan islands

1722: Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen becomes the first European to sight the islands

1900: Germany and the United States divide the Samoan islands

1914: New Zealand occupies Western Samoa at the start of World War I

1962: Independence from New Zealand, first Pacific island nation to gain independence

2011: Samoa shifts from driving on the right to driving on the left side of the road