Samoa is a Pacific island state comprising two main islands, Savaii and Upolu, plus several smaller islands. It lies about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand and has a land area of around 2842 square kilometers. Its main economic activities are tourism, fishing and agriculture. The country is divided into four major statistical regions: Apia Urban Area (AUA), North West Upolu, Rest of Upolu (including Manono and Apolima Islands) and Savaii. AUA represents the urban area, while the other three regions are rural.
In 2010, estimates put Samoa’s population at 184 032, with around 38.3% young people aged less than 15 years and only 5.0% aged 65 years and over. Life expectancy was 73.2 according to the 2006 census, compared with 72.8 years in 2001.