Samoa - Infrastructure, power, and communications

The 2 main islands of Upolu and Savai'i are quite well serviced by 790 kilometers (491 miles) of roads, of which about 40 percent are paved. Nearly all villages can be accessed by road, and bus services reach most parts of the country. The 2 islands are linked by passenger and car ferries with frequent sailings. The size of the country and the existence of road and ferry services mean that internal air travel is relatively rare. The sole international airport, Faleolo Airport, on the northwest coast of Upolu, provides international air passage to New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, American Samoa, Australia, and Honolulu, Hawaii. Polynesian Airlines, owned by the Samoan government, and Samoa Air are 2 of the main regional carriers. Samoa also has 2 unpaved airports on Savai'i for domestic travel.

While about 62 percent of Samoa's electricity is generated with the use of imported fuel, the remainder is generated by a local hydroelectric station. Telephone services extend to most parts of the country, although only about 1 in 4 households has a telephone and public telephones are rare. International telephone service is usually good. In 2000 there was at least 1 Internet service provider.