Samoa
National Atlases
This single atlas, published in 1998, represents a unique moment in Samoa's cartographic history. Unlike nations with long-standing national atlas traditions, Samoa's contribution is a focused, one-off volume titled *Samoa: Mapping the Diversity*, produced in English by the University of the South Pacific's editorips unit. Its creation reflects a post-independence effort to consolidate socio-economic knowledge for planning and education. The atlas systematically maps over 60 variables across 48 fipule (traditional districts), drawing primarily on the 1989 Census of Agriculture. This emphasis on agricultural and demographic diversity—rather than physical geography alone—marks a shift toward applied, community-level mapping. While the collection is limited in temporal scope, its methodological clarity and district-level granularity have made it a reference for subsequent studies of Samoan rural development. Its legacy lies not in a sustained series, but in demonstrating how a small island nation can use cartography to document internal diversity and inform policy, bridging traditional governance structures with modern data visualization.
Versions and Their Documents
This is the first volume of the national atlas tradition in our collection.
Contemporary and Later Comment
- Journal Article2000Reviews: Samoa: Mapping the Diversity
Camilla Cockerton
This review assesses the book 'Samoa: Mapping the Diversity' by R. Gerard Ward and Paul Ashcroft. The book aims to reveal significant regional differences in Samoa's environment, forestry, population, land tenure, infrastructure, agriculture, crops, livestock, and fishing, and to make information about Samoa more accessible and usable. Drawing primarily on census data from the 1980s and early 1990s, including the 1989 agricultural census, the authors construct detailed maps and tables that clearly demonstrate regional variations and spatial interrelationships. The book is immediately useful for planners, officials, and development practitioners, particularly for locally tailored solutions, and serves as a valuable resource for students and the public, exemplifying the application of data processing and GIS in Pacific Island contexts.
- Journal Article2002Reviews: Samoa: Mapping the Diversity
John Connell
This is a review of the atlas "Samoa: Mapping the Diversity" by R. Gerard Ward and P. Ashcroft. The atlas contains over 60 maps based on data such as the 1989 Census of Agriculture, systematically illustrating spatial distribution and variations across Samoa's 48 districts in agriculture, fishing, forest cover, and access to services. The review notes that the atlas not only presents spatial data but also reveals uneven development and growing inequality, while drawing on previously obscure unpublished reports. The author considers the atlas a valuable reference for understanding Samoa's recent development structure and calls for similar works in other Pacific island states.
From the Physical Collection
Photographs are being prepared for this hall.