Samoa officially the Independent State of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa and German Samoa), is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in Polynesia Savai'i. The capital city Apia and Faleolo International Airport are situated on the island of Upolu.Samoa was admitted to the United Nations on 15 December 1976. The entire island group, inclusive of American Samoa, was called Navigators Islands by European explorers before the 20th century because of the Samoans' seafaring skills.

Due to colonialism, the Samoa Islands and people were divided by Western powers. Today, politically the islands have two jurisdications, the independent nation of Samoa at the western half of the islands, and the territory of American Samoa comprising the islands to the east.The oldest date so far from pre-historic remains in the Samoa Islands has been calculated from archaeology in Samoa to a likely true age of circa 3,000 BP (Before Present) from a Lapita site at Mulifanua.