Samoa
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Related to Samoa: American Samoa
Sa·mo·a
(sə-mō′ə)1. An island group of the southern Pacific Ocean east-northeast of Fiji, divided between Samoa, a sovereign nation, and American Samoa, a territory of the United States. The islands were originally populated by Polynesians perhaps as early as 1000 bc and were first sighted by European explorers in 1722. Dual administration of the archipelago was established by treaty in 1899.
2. An island country of the southern Pacific Ocean comprising the western Samoa Islands. The islands, inhabited by a Polynesian people, were visited by Dutch and French navigators in the 1700s and became a German colony in 1899. Occupied by New Zealand during World War I, the islands, known as Western Samoa, were later administered as a League of Nations mandate and a UN trust territory. The country achieved independence as a constitutional monarchy in 1962, and in 1997 the country's name was formally changed to Samoa. Apia, on Upolu Island, is the capital.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Samoa
(səˈməʊə)n
1. (Placename) 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. (Placename) 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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Sa•mo•a
(səˈmoʊ ə)n.
1. a group of islands in the S Pacific, N of Tonga: divided into American Samoa and Samoa.
2. an independent country in the S Pacific, comprising the W part of Samoa: formerly a trust territory of New Zealand. 229,979; 1093 sq. mi. (2831 sq. km). Cap.: Apia. Formerly, Western Samoa.
Samo′an, n., adj.
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| Noun | 1. |  Samoa - a constitutional monarchy on the western part of the islands of Samoa in the South PacificSamoan Islands, Samoa - a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific midway between Hawaii and Australia; its climate and scenery and Polynesian culture make it a popular tourist stop Apia, capital of Western Samoa - the capital of Western Samoa |
| 2. | Samoa - a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific midway between Hawaii and Australia; its climate and scenery and Polynesian culture make it a popular tourist stop Polynesia - the islands in the eastern part of Oceania Independent State of Samoa, Samoa, Samoa i Sisifo, Western Samoa - a constitutional monarchy on the western part of the islands of Samoa in the South Pacific American Samoa, Eastern Samoa, AS - a United States territory on the eastern part of the island of Samoa Samoan - a native or inhabitant of the Samoan Islands |
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Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Samoa
n → Samoa nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007