Background New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.
SOURCES: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
ALTERNATIVE NAMES:
Samoa, Independent State of Samoa, Western Samoa, Samoa (Western), (Western) Samoa
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