Yearbook 2008 Nauru. The December 2007 election had resulted in a balance in Parliament. Nine members supported the newly elected President Marcus Stephen and just as many belonged to the fierce opposition that sought to oust the government. This led to a political stalemate of about four months, with constant disputes in Parliament, which made…
Category: Oceania
Samoa geography
Samoa is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. The group of islands east of Fiji also includes the western part of the Samoa Islands and is therefore often called Western Samoa. The state area of Samoa is a good 2,800 square kilometers. The archipelago is made up of the main islands of Savai’i and Upolu as well as the islands of Apolima, Manono and another six islands. Apia, the capital of Samoa, is located on Upolu Island.
The two main islands of Savai’i and Upolu are of volcanic origin. Mount Silisili rises on Savai’i, the highest mountain at 1,857 metersSamoas is. The other two inhabited islands, Manono and Apolima, are located in the 18-kilometer-wide strait that separates Savai’i from Upolu.
Samoa – arrival
Airplane: it is quite straightforward to fly from Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji or Los Angeles (California) to Samoa, even if the ticket prices can be quite high. Airlines with flights to and from Samoa include, for example, Quantas, Air Pacific, Pacific Blue, Air New Zealand, Polynesian Blue, Inter-Island Airways and Polynesian Airlines.
Airports: Samoa’s main airport is Faleolo Airport, 35 kilometers west of Apia.
Ship: the Samoa Shipping Corporation operates a weekly car ferry between Apia and Pago Pago (American Samoa). The journey takes about seven hours each way.
Freight ships operate regularly – roughly every two weeks – between Apia in Samoa and the Tokelau Islands. Tickets for the approximately 20-hour crossing are available in Apia at the Tokelau-Apia-Liaison-Office. In advance, travelers must apply for a permit to enter Tokelau.
Numerous yachts from all over the world call at the ports of the South Seas between May and October. The most important marina in Samoa is Apia. Destinations on Savi’i are also the ports of Salelologa, Asau and Fagamalo. Visitor yachts must apply for a residence permit from the Prime Minister. For more information about the continent of Oceania, please check physicscat.com.
Micronesia 2008
Yearbook 2008 Micronesia Federation. Raised food prices worldwide during the first half of 2008 prompted Micronesia President. Manny Mori to appeal to the population to switch to locally produced foods. The price increases were noticed in Micronesia not least on the rice, a staple that is largely imported from Australia. Drought in Australia forced the…
Marshall Islands 2008
Yearbook 2008 Marshall Islands. The recalculation of some of the votes in the regular parliamentary elections in November 2007 meant that the results of the elections did not become clear until 2008. When the re-election was carried out on 5 January, the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) became the largest party with 15 seats, compared…
Kiribati 2008
Yearbook 2008 Kiribati. Kiribati is creating the world’s largest marine nature reserve, an area large as California with untouched coral reefs and rich fish stocks that are currently threatened by depletion and climate change. It was at the UN Conference on Biodiversity in Brazil in 2006 that Kiribati President Anote Tong announced the decision on…
Fiji 2008
Yearbook 2008 Fiji. The interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who took power in a coup in December 2006, dropped the cabinet in early January and merged several ministries. At the same time, he extended his own area of responsibility to multi-ethnic issues, the public sector, information and more. In February, Bainimarama appointed himself chairman of…
Australia 2008
Yearbook 2008 Australia. In connection with the opening of the new parliament on February 12, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized to the Aborigines for the abuses the whites have committed against the indigenous peoples since the colonization. For the first time, Aboriginal enrollees were also included in Parliament’s opening ceremony. In particular, Rudd mentioned how…
Oceania History
The world’s smallest continent, the region consists of approximately 10,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Know the main data about the continent. Oceania is the name given to the continent or region formed by about 10,000 islands located in the Pacific Ocean. The world’s smallest continent, it is formed by 14 countries and divided into…