Samoa

American  

[suh-moh-uh] / səˈmoʊ ə /

noun

1. a group of islands in the southern Pacific, the islands west of 170° W longitude constituting an independent state and the rest belonging to the U.S.

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Samoa British  

/ səˈməʊə /

noun

1. an independent state occupying four inhabited islands and five uninhabited islands in the S Pacific archipelago of the Samoa Islands: established as a League of Nations mandate under New Zealand administration in 1920 and a UN trusteeship in 1946; gained independence as Western Samoa in 1962 as the first fully independent Polynesian state; officially changed its name to Samoa in 1997; a member of the Commonwealth. Languages: Samoan and English. Religion: Christian. Currency: tala. Capital: Apia. Pop: 195 476 (2013 est). Area: 2841 sq km (1097 sq miles)

2. Also called: Samoa Islands.  a group of islands in the S Pacific, northeast of Fiji: an independent kingdom until the mid 19th century, when it was divided administratively into American Samoa (in the east) and German Samoa (in the west); the latter was mandated to New Zealand in 1919 and gained full independence in 1962 as Western Samoa, now called Samoa (as detailed in sense 1). Area: 3038 sq km (1173 sq miles)

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Samoa Cultural  

1. A group of volcanic (see volcano) islands in the south Pacific Ocean, approximately midway between Hawaii and Sydney, Australia, making up the independent kingdom of Western Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa.

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Discover More

Samoa's tropical climate, mountainous scenery, coral reefs, and Polynesian culture make it a popular tourist destination.

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How does samoa compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Samoa vs. American Samoa

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Samoa

Nicollette Roe learned early on from her family, who had come to the U.S. from Samoa, that achieving the American dream meant education and homeownership.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Plans for deep-sea mining exploration are most advanced for a vast sweep of ocean near American Samoa, a US territory nestled between New Zealand and Hawaii in the South Pacific.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

The lone exception is Samoa, a parliamentary democracy whose circulating coins all feature the country’s head of state as of 2011, the coins’ original year of issuance.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

A junior Commonwealth Games champion, Stowers marked her 18th birthday earlier this year with four gold medals - breaking 12 records along the way - at the Universal Weightlifting Championship in her homeland of Samoa.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

They engaged in regular long-distance trade with Fiji and Samoa, established Tongan settlements in Fiji, and began to raid and conquer parts of Fiji.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond