Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

is divided into eleven ''itūmālō'' (political districts), which were established well before the arrival of Europeans. Each district has its own constitutional foundation (''faavae''), rooted in the traditional order of title precedence as outlined in its ''faalupega'' (traditional salutations). The capital village of each district administers and coordinates the district's affairs and confers its paramount title, among other responsibilities.

Examples of district governance

Aʻana's capital is

Leulumoega Leulumoega Tuai is a village situated on the northwest coast Upolu island in Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Paci ...

. The paramount title of Aʻana is the Tui Aʻana, which is conferred by the orator group known as the ''Faleiva'' (House of Nine), based in Leulumoega. The paramount ''tama-a-‘āiga'' title of Aʻana is Tuimalealiifano, held in Falelatai. Currently, there is no holder of the Tui A'ana title, as the orator polity of Leulumoega has yet to make a decision. In

Tuamasaga Tuamāsaga is a district of Samoa, with a population (2016 census) of 95,907. This makes it the most populous district in Samoa. The geographic area of Tuamasaga covers the central part of Upolu island, and includes the capital, Apia. History an ...

, the paramount ''matai'' title of Malietoa is conferred by the Sa Malietoa of Malie. The ''pāpā'' titles of Gatoaitele and Vaetamasoalii are known as ''pāpā fafine'' due to their origins with the original female occupants. Both titles are conferred by the Fale Tuamasaga, based in Afega and Safata, respectively. The current holder of the Malietoa title is Malietoa Moli, son of the former Head of State, Malietoa Tanumafili II. The current holder of the Gatoaitele title is Savea Sano Malifa, owner of the '' Samoa Observer'' newspaper. There is currently no holder of the Vaetamasoalii ''pāpā'' title.

Atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian people such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ). The literal meaning of the Polynesian word is "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Many of the atua ...

's capital is

Lufilufi Lufilufi is a historical village situated on the north coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The village is part of the electoral constituency (''Faipule District'') Anoamaa East which is within the larger political district of Atua. The village's popula ...

, formerly part of

Falefa Falefā is located on the north eastern coast of Upolu island in Samoa. It was the ancient capital during the ('government') of (King) Fonoti after defeating his kin Vaafusuaga Toleafoa and Samalaulu for control of Samoa. King Fonoti chose t ...

, which was designated as its own village following the events that gave it its name. The paramount ''pāpā'' title and sovereign of Atua is the Tui Atua, conferred by the ''Faleono'' (House of Six), the senior orators of Lufilufi. The two paramount matai titles, known as ''tama-a-'āiga'', are Tupua Tamasese and Matā'afa. The Tupua Tamasese title is conferred by the ''Aiga Sa Fenunu'ivao'' (Descendants of Fenunu'ivao, mother of Tupua Fuiavailili) of Falefa and Salani, while the Matā'afa title is conferred by the ''Aiga Sa Levālasi'' (Descendants of Levālasi, mother of Salamāsina) of Lotofaga and Āmaile. Samoa's first Prime Minister, Fiame Matā'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II, was a holder of the Matā'afa title. The current holder of the Tupua Tamasese and Tui Atua titles is former Prime Minister and Head of State, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi.

Political districts

Exclaves of political districts

Note that several districts include multiple

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

s: * Gaga'emauga: In addition to the main part on Savai'i, there are two small exclaves on

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...

: Salamumu and

Le'auva'a Le'auva'a ('the people from the boat') is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. The population is 3274. Although the village, with an area of 5.558 km2, is geographically located on Upolu, the village is politically (and historically) pa ...

. This is the only district with areas on both main islands. * Satupa'itea: Consists of two separate areas on the south side of Savai'i. * Palauli: Consists of two separate areas on the south side of Savai'i. * A'ana: In addition to the main part, there is a small exclave (Satuimalufilufi village). * Va'a-o-Fonoti: In addition to the main part, there is a small exclave (Faleāpuna village). *

Aiga-i-le-Tai Aiga-i-le-Tai is a districts of Samoa, district of Samoa which includes the small islands of Manono Island, Manono, Apolima and tiny uninhabited Nu'ulopa lying in the Apolima Strait between the country's two main islands of Upolu and Savai'i. The ...

: Includes the islands of Manono, Apolima, and Nu'ulopa. * Atua: Includes the

Aleipata Islands The Aleipata Islands are a group of four uninhabited islands off the eastern end of Upolu Island, Samoa, in central South Pacific Ocean. The islands are eroded volcanic tuff rings, and consist of a small northern pair on Upolu's barrier reef, an ...

and Nu'usafe'e Island.

Electoral districts

The ''itūmālō'' are further subdivided into 51 ''faipule'' districts. While they have no administrative function, they serve as single-member electoral constituencies and are also used as regional units for

statistical Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...

purposes. The ''faipule'' electoral districts are loosely based on the traditional sub-districts of the ''itūmālō''. For example, the ''faipule'' districts of Anoama'a West and Anoama'a East are based on the traditional sub-district of Anoama'a in the northern half of the

district.

Villages

At the local level, there are 265 villages. Additionally, the

district includes 71 villages, with the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

, composed of 58 villages in the Vaimauga West electoral district and 13 villages in the Faleata East electoral district. Apia does not have a unified administration; local power rests with the constituent villages.

References

External links

Map: election districts
{{Samoa topics, state=collapsed Subdivisions of Samoa Samoa, Districts Samoa 1 Districts, Samoa Samoa geography-related lists