Down under in the Oceanic region of the globe lie the countries of Fiji and Samoa. They are both located deep in the South Pacific within very close proximity, similar physical features yet at times worlds apart in their cultural features. The absolute location of Samoa is 13.75905 S, 172.1046 W and the absolute location of Fiji is 17.7134 S, 1780650 E. Both Samoa and Fiji are located in the Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand. Both of these islands have similar geographical features, yet when it comes to their cultures, you begin to see where the similarities end and the differences begin. I chose these two countries because I have been to Fiji with its clear blue water and white sand beaches, and I was curious to learn about group of islands in the same region.
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Samoa
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Location/Physical
Features
Fiji and Samoa are both countries made up of groups of islands and as stated located in the Oceania region of the Pacific ocean. They are both surrounded by water and were primarily formed by volcanic activity. Within the Oceania region, there are four sub-regions that divide these islands based on their physical development. Fiji is part of the Melanasia region, a region that is characterized by a chain of islands and reefs that form the outer area of an oval coral sea. Samoa is part of the Polynesia region which is characterized by a small amount of volcanic islands spread out over a very large area of the Pacific Ocean.
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| Figure (1): Oceanic Sub-Regions |
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| Figure (2): Map of Fiji |
Samoa on the other hand
only consists of nine islands with a total of 1,075 square miles. The two
main islands of Samoa are Upolu and Savai’i, of the nine islands 5 are
uninhibited.
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| Figure (3): Map of Samoa |
The climate of both
Samoa and Fiji is considered tropical which is characterized by humid warm
weather and abundant rainfall. In both countries the weather becomes cooler
during the months of May-Oct when the Southeast trade winds pick up and the
raining season falls in their summer months of Nov - April. Hurricane
season is from Dec - Mar. The main
difference between these 2 countries and their climates is that Samoa is
located closer to the equator so temperatures can feel quite a bit warmer than
Fiji.
The Fiji islands lie in
a horseshoe shape and are made up mostly of volcanic material that was created
by a big sunken piece of continent that was once part of Australia. None
of the volcanoes on the islands are active today. Because of the high amount of rainfall in
Fiji there is a variety of vegetation which ranges from heavy rainforests to
coconut groves to long coarse grasses on the dryer side of the islands.
There are over 70 different types of birds mixed in with a couple of
monkey-faced fruit bats and some flying fox.
Three of the seven species of sea turtles also hang out in Fiji.
Samoa is also heavy in
rain forests in the inland parts of the islands. Their coastal areas have
rich soil and this is where most of their vegetable gardens thrive as well as
coconut plantations. Upolu, the second largest island has the richest
volcanic soil and therefore accounts for supplying over 72% of the population
of Samoa. There are 35 bird species in Samoa, of which 16 are exclusive
to the country. One of these birds is
called the tooth-billed pigeon.
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| figure (4): Tooth-billed Pigeon |
In a nutshell, Fiji and
Samoa are more similar than different when it comes to the physical features of
both countries, except for maybe the attack dogs...so now let’s talk a little
about the people in these countries.
Human Culture/Way of Life
As
we have noticed so far there are quite a few similarities between Fiji and
Samoa, but as we take a look now at the cultural features of each, some
differences begin to arise.
The population of Fiji
is 912,241 and it has a population density of 46 people per sq km. Over
55% of the country live on the island coasts because of the rough landscapes of
the islands interiors, and most of those people live in the city of Suva or
smaller urban areas. The majority of Fijians are 15-64 at 63%, with a very
high concentration of 0-14 at 33% and a very low concentration of 65+ at
4%. The life expectancy of Fijians is
fairly young at 67.9, with women living just a few years longer than men, with
a total age dependency ratio down over past years of 52.8%.
Fiji is a multi-racial,
multi-cultural country with about 5 different religions. The Fijians are
primarily Christian, and make up for over 50% of the population, but the second
largest race are Indian and they are mainly Muslim and Hindu. The large
indian population is a result the British transporting over 60,000 Indians to
Fiji in the early 1900’s to help work on the sugar plantations throughout the
islands. The official languages of Fiji are English, Fijian and Fijian Hindi.
The population of Samoa
is 197,822 and it has a population density of 69.4 people per sq km. Most of
the population of Samoa is rural mostly because there is really one real town,
Apia, on the north coast of Upolu. The majority of Samoans are ages 15-64 at
59.4%, with a very high concentration of 0-14 at 35.4% and a very low
concentration of 65+ at 5%. The life expectancy of Samoans is above the
world population average at 72 years old, with women having the longer life
expectancy of 75.2, with a total age dependency ratio of 68.3%.
Samoa is not as diverse
as Fiji because over 90% of the country is Samoan, with the remaining
population Euronesian (Europeans and Asians) and their religion is
predominantly with the Congregational Christian Church with 46% and the rest
are divided equally between Methodist, Catholic and Mormon. An
interesting note is that every day in Samoa there is a daily prayer called “sa”
at 6pm, and at this point everyone must stop walking, talking, etc and sit or
stand quietly for 10 min until the gong or bell has been rung. This ritual even applies to cars, so don’t
forget to pull over and stop your car! Samoan is the official language of the
country with English as a required second language, mainly in government
affairs.
As we can see so far,
Fiji has a much larger population than Samoa and is much more culturally
diverse, however both countries seem to have both high birth rates and high
death rates. Let’s take a look at some cool and interesting things about
each country that set them apart.
In Fiji, the people are
pretty easy going, and super friendly but when you get into the rural villages
it is customary to wear modest clothing and take off any hats; leave your shoes
outside the door and don’t touch anyone, including little kids on the head,
this is an insult. Kava, or Yaqona, is the drink of Fiji (I’ve tried it
and it’s horrible and makes your tongue numb, not to mention your arms, legs,
etc.) and is made from pulverized root and makes you super mellow.
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| Figure (5): Kava/Yaqona Ceremony Fiji |
Music is also a huge part of the Fijian culture
and is called the Meke. It can range from all types of loud or soft and usually
tells a story, the main instruments are bamboo tubes and hardwood gongs.
Similar to the luau in Hawaii, Fijians take part in the Lovo, which is
basically the same thing, food, generally pork, cooked in the ground.
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| Figure (6): Male Tatu - Samoa |
Human Environment Interaction
When you see a picture
of Fiji and the beautiful beaches and clear water, your natural instinct is to
say “one day I will go there to visit!” And because of this unique
beautiful environment the tourist industry is a huge part of this country. Fiji is one of the most developed countries
in the South Pacific but they rely heavily on their environment. Their
reef ecosystem is an important part of the environment as it supplies them with
fish for their food, a ring of protection from the storms and of course a place
to dive while visiting. Their climate is
also a major draw and benefits the influx of tourists, however climate change
has had an impact on their banana and pineapple plants. Fiji also relies heavily on their sugar cane
for export as well as clothing. The main
issues threatening their environment are soil erosion and deforestation.
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| Figure (7): Sugar Kane Farmers in Fiji |
Samoa, like Fiji is
mostly dependent on their agriculture and fishing and a steadily growing
tourism industry. This is extremely important for Samoa as they are faced more
and more with environmental challenges brought on by climate change, unplanned
development and the natural disasters with cyclones and tsunami, most recently
the Cyclone Gita in February 2018 which caused a shortage of their banana and
pineapple supplies. The biggest threat with Samoa, similar to Fiji is
deforestation, soil erosion and over-fishing.
Despite their growth in tourism, Samoa has still managed to keep a lot
of their authentic cultural traditions.
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| Figure (8): Samoa after 2018 Cyclone |
Check out this link of how Samoa is now trying
to recapture the forests that have been damaged by the cyclones.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yll3C3CM85g
Movement
Transportation in Fiji
consists of ways to both navigate the roads as well as the waters between each
of the islands. There are 4 airports in Fiji with the main airport on the
island of Viti Levu, there are also 24 airports with dirt runways scattered
throughout the islands. There are 3,440 km of roadways that are traveled
and 203 km of waterways. The number one industry in Fiji, for obvious reasons,
is tourism, followed by sugar, clothing and gold. Their largest export
items are sugar, fish, gold and clothing and the largest portion of their
export goes into Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Fiji’s largest importer is Singapore (50+%)
where they get petrol, equipment and manufactured goods, other countries are
New Zealand (15%) and Australia (16%).
In Samoa about
two-fifths of their roadways are paved along the coastal highways as well as in
the main city of Apia. There are no railways in Samoa but an airport that
connects flights mainly to New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Fiji. As you would expect there are also shipping
services that link cruise ships to surrounding ports. Samoa imports more
than they export which results in a negative trade balance for the
country. The biggest exports are
insulated wire and frozen fish of which Australia (30%) is the largest
recipient. Other exports include coconut
products, copra and cacao...and beer.
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| Figure (9): Vailima, the Samoan Beer |
Conclusion
After exploring the five geographic themes of these 2 countries, I
realized that because 2 places are located close to each other it is not always
safe to assume they are exactly alike. Although very similar, it is clear
to see how cultures and traditions really mold a country, and how mother-nature
and the way we interact with our environment dictates a lot about a country.
Having been to one of these countries, this report has definitely created
a desire to maybe visit Samoa one day and experience firsthand the similarities
and differences to Fiji...oh and try the Vailima beer, I know it has to taste
better than the Kava!
References:
Thomson, Gale. (2007). Fiji. Retrieved from: https://www.encyclopedia.com/places/australia-and-oceania/pacific-islands-political-geography/fiji#TOPOGRAPHY
Foster, Sophie. (2009). Samoa, Island Nation,
Pacific Ocean. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/place/Samoa-island-nation-Pacific-Ocean
Greiner, Alyson L.
(2014). Visualizing Human Geography, 2nd Edition.
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