The 1960 constitution, which formally came into force with independence from New Zealand in 1962, is based on the British pattern of parliamentary democracy, modified to take account of Samoan customs. The national modern Government of Samoa is referred to as the 'Malo'.
Religion in Samoa encompasses a range of groups, but 98% of the population of Samoa is Christian.The following is a distribution of Christian groups as of 2011 (the most recent census available): Congregational Christian (32 percent), Roman Catholic (19 percent), LDS (15 percent), Methodist (14 percent), Assemblies of God (8 percent) and Seventh-day Adventist (4 percent).
Samoan culture has a very long and complex history which includes great migratory movements, amazing feats and the whole history of its population. One of the most important aspects of the Samoan cuisine is represented by the fact that food is not heavily spiced as it is characterised by the use of coconut milk and cream.