Sambhal, city, northwestern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies on the alluvial Indo-Gangetic Plain, about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Moradabad. Sambhal is an ancient settlement that was also important during the period of Muslim rule and was one of Sikandar Lodī’s provincial capitals

Sambhar Salt Lake, ephemeral salt lake, the largest lake in India, situated in east-central Rajasthan state, west of Jaipur. About 90 square miles (230 square km) in area, it represents a depression of the Aravalli Range. The soluble sodium compounds stored in the lake’s underlying silt have

Buddha: The presence of multiple universes: …form, the enjoyment body (sambhogakaya), which was the form of a youthful prince adorned with the 32 major marks and 80 minor marks of a superman. The former include patterns of a wheel on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet, elongated earlobes, a crown…

Buddha: The presence of multiple universes: …form, the enjoyment body (sambhogakaya), which was the form of a youthful prince adorned with the 32 major marks and 80 minor marks of a superman. The former include patterns of a wheel on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet, elongated earlobes, a crown…

Harihara, in Hinduism, a deity combining the two major gods Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). Images of Harihara (also known as Shambhu-Vishnu and Shankara-Narayana, variants of the names of the two gods) first appeared in the classical period, after sectarian movements, which elevated one god as

Ahmed Abdallah Sambi is a Comorian politician, businessman, and Islamic scholar who served as president of Comoros (2006–11). Sambi’s assumption of office marked the first peaceful transfer of power between Comorian leaders since the island country, a former French overseas territory, declared its

Ahmed Abdallah Sambi is a Comorian politician, businessman, and Islamic scholar who served as president of Comoros (2006–11). Sambi’s assumption of office marked the first peaceful transfer of power between Comorian leaders since the island country, a former French overseas territory, declared its

furniture: France: …by the craftsman and designer Hugues Sambin, design was influenced by the Renaissance style evolved in the Netherlands.

Sambir, city, western Ukraine, on the Dniester River. Built after the settlement of Staryi Sambir (Old Sambir) was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241, Sambir emerged as an important trade and manufacturing centre while under Polish rule (1387–1772). Under Austrian rule (1772–1918) it served as a minor

sambo, (Russian: “self-defense without weapons”), form of wrestling developed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s from elements of several Soviet regional styles. It is also practiced in Japan and Bulgaria. In 1964 it was recognized by the International Federation of Amateur Wrestling. It is similar

Hadejia: Umaru’s brother and successor, Emir Sambo (reigned 1808–45), officially founded the Hadejia emirate in 1808, moved his headquarters to Hadejia town, established a market, and began to consolidate Fulani rule over the small neighbouring Hausa kingdoms.

Eddie Koiki Mabo was a Meriam activist who fought for and established land rights for Torres Strait Islander peoples in the 1980s and ’90s. He brought before the High Court of Australia what became known as the Mabo case, which challenged existing law that prevented Torres Strait Islander peoples

Jama’are: …officially recognized until 1835, when Sambolei, the chief of the Jama’are Fulani, was rewarded with it for his aid against the Hausa rebels of Katsina by Muḥammad Bello, the sarkin musulmi (“commander of the faithful”) and sultan of Sokoto. Emir Muhammadu Maude built the walls (20 feet [6 m] high…

Sambir, city, western Ukraine, on the Dniester River. Built after the settlement of Staryi Sambir (Old Sambir) was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241, Sambir emerged as an important trade and manufacturing centre while under Polish rule (1387–1772). Under Austrian rule (1772–1918) it served as a minor

Samborombón Bay, bay of the South Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Río de la Plata, Argentina, located 100 miles (160 km) southeast of the city of Buenos Aires. The bay arcs southwestward, southeastward, and then eastward for 85 miles (135 km) from Point Piedras to Point Norte of Cape San

Belgium: Relief, drainage, and soils: Its northern boundary is the Sambre-Meuse valley, which traverses Belgium from south-southwest to northeast.

Belgium: Relief, drainage, and soils: Its northern boundary is the Sambre-Meuse valley, which traverses Belgium from south-southwest to northeast.

Sambucuccio d’Alando was a Corsican revolutionary who, in collaboration with Genoa, led an uprising against the feudal Cinarca family and their overlord, James (IV) of Aragon. Sambucuccio was born to an obscure family and eventually became a soldier. His leadership of the Corsican revolt of 1356

elderberry, (genus Sambucus), genus of about 10 species of shrubs and small trees in the family Adoxaceae. Most are native to forested temperate or subtropical areas of both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. They are important as garden shrubs, as forest plants, and for their berries, which

elderberry: Major species and uses: …species of elderberry include the blue, or Mexican, elder (S. caerulea), which grows to 15 metres (48 feet) and has deep blue or purple fruits; it is found in western North America. European red elder (S. racemosa), native from northern Europe to North China, has round clusters of scarlet berries…

elderberry: Major species and uses: nigra and a North American S. canadensis). The fruit is sometimes collected from wild trees, but a number of cultivated varieties have been developed for home and commercial use. The berries may be mixed with grapes for jelly or combined with apples as a pie filling. In some areas the…

elderberry: Major species and uses: Danewort, or dwarf, elderberry (S. ebulus), widespread in Eurasia and North Africa, is a perennial with annually herbaceous growth to 1 metre (3 feet). Its clusters of black berries were once a source of dye.

Dipsacales: Adoxaceae: European, or black, elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is commonly used in herbal medicine.

elderberry: Major species and uses: Red-berried, or American red, elder (S. pubens), with dark pith, is a similar North American species. Danewort, or dwarf, elderberry (S. ebulus), widespread in Eurasia and North Africa, is a perennial with annually herbaceous growth to 1 metre (3 feet). Its clusters of black berries…

elderberry: Major species and uses: European red elder (S. racemosa), native from northern Europe to North China, has round clusters of scarlet berries and reaches 4 metres (13 feet) in height. Red-berried, or American red, elder (S. pubens), with dark pith, is a similar North American species. Danewort, or dwarf,…

human evolution: Background and beginnings in the Miocene: …that emphasizes African Miocene species, Samburupithecus is ancestral to Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Orrorin, and Orrorin begets Au. afarensis, which is ancestral to Homo.

Sacheon, city, South Gyeongsang do (province), southern South Korea. The city was created in 1995 by the merger of the former city of Samcheonpo with Sacheon county. Islands such as Cheongsan, Sinsu, and Neuk screen the city’s deepwater port. Traditional industries include fishing and fish

South Asian arts: Sinhalese literature: 10th century ad to 19th century: This genre, so-called saṃdeśa literature, by no means unknown on the mainland, proliferated widely on Ceylon.

Hinduism: Other private rites: …morning and evening adorations (sandhya), being a very important duty of the traditional householder, are mainly Vedic in character but have become lengthy because of the addition of Puranic and Tantric elements. If not shortened, the morning ceremonies consist of self-purification, bathing, prayers, and recitation of mantras, especially the…

Cephallenia, island, largest of the Ionian Islands, west of the Gulf of Patraïkós. With the island of Ithaca (Itháki) and smaller nearby islands, it forms the nomós (department) of Kefallinía in modern Greece. The island, with an area of 302 square miles (781 square km), is mountainous, and Mount

Sami, any member of a people speaking the Sami language and inhabiting Lapland and adjacent areas of northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland, as well as the Kola Peninsula of Russia. The three Sami languages, which are mutually unintelligible, are sometimes considered dialects of one language. They

Jon Voight: …befriends a homeless man in Same Kind of Different As Me, which was based on the best-selling memoir of the same name. His movie credits from 2018 included the family drama Orphan Horse. In addition, Voight played the father of the title character in the TV series Ray Donovan (2013–20),…

Robert Mulligan: More popular was Same Time, Next Year (1978), which retained the wistful charm of the Bernard Slade play. Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn starred as two lovers who meet once a year for almost three decades. Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), however, was a dull romance about a widow…

same-sex marriage, the practice of marriage between two men or between two women. Although same-sex marriage has been regulated through law, religion, and custom in most countries of the world, the legal and social responses have ranged from celebration on the one hand to criminalization on the

same-sex marriage, the practice of marriage between two men or between two women. Although same-sex marriage has been regulated through law, religion, and custom in most countries of the world, the legal and social responses have ranged from celebration on the one hand to criminalization on the

same-sex marriage, the practice of marriage between two men or between two women. Although same-sex marriage has been regulated through law, religion, and custom in most countries of the world, the legal and social responses have ranged from celebration on the one hand to criminalization on the

Saints Sergius and Bacchus: In Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe (1994), American professor and historian John Boswell argued that the relationship between Sergius and Bacchus was romantic in nature and represents a type of early Christian same-sex union. Though this controversial claim has been much debated, the saints are popular…

Madeleine de Scudéry: …own salon, known as the Société du Samedi (the Saturday Club).

Sami, any member of a people speaking the Sami language and inhabiting Lapland and adjacent areas of northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland, as well as the Kola Peninsula of Russia. The three Sami languages, which are mutually unintelligible, are sometimes considered dialects of one language. They

The Pillars of Society, drama in four acts by Henrik Ibsen, published in Norwegian as Samfundets støtter in 1877 and performed the following year. The play’s title initially refers to Karsten Bernick, whose good reputation is threatened by the return to town of his brother-in-law, Johan Tönnesen

Korean literature: Prose: …compiled during the Koryŏ dynasty: Samguk sagi (1146; “Historical Record of the Three Kingdoms”) and Samguk yusa (1285; “Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms”). The most important myths are those concerning the Sun and the Moon, the founding of Korea by Tangun, and the lives of the ancient kings. The legends…

Korean literature: Prose: …of the Three Kingdoms”) and Samguk yusa (1285; “Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms”). The most important myths are those concerning the Sun and the Moon, the founding of Korea by Tangun, and the lives of the ancient kings. The legends touch on place and personal names and natural phenomena. The…

Samhain, in ancient Celtic religion, one of the most important and sinister calendar festivals of the year. At Samhain, held on November 1, the world of the gods was believed to be made visible to humankind, and the gods played many tricks on their mortal worshippers; it was a time fraught with

Upanishad: …Samaveda, and Atharvaveda—consists of a Samhita (a “collection” of hymns or sacred formulas); a liturgical prose exposition called a Brahmana; and two appendices to the Brahmana—an Aranyaka (“Book of the Wilderness”), which contains esoteric doctrines meant to be studied by the initiated in the forest or some other remote place,…

Sami, any member of a people speaking the Sami language and inhabiting Lapland and adjacent areas of northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland, as well as the Kola Peninsula of Russia. The three Sami languages, which are mutually unintelligible, are sometimes considered dialects of one language. They

Norway: Constitutional framework: The Sami Act of 1987 sought to enable the Sami people “to safeguard and develop their language, culture, and way of life” and created the Sameting, the Sami Parliament, the business of which, according to the constitution, is “any matter that in the view of the…

Sami language, any of three members of the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family, spoken by the Sami (Lapp) people in northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway and on the Kola Peninsula in Russia. The Sami languages, which are mutually unintelligible, are sometimes considered dialects of one

saturniid moth: Major species: The caterpillar of the cynthia moth (Samia cynthia or walkeri), also known as the ailanthus silk moth, native to Asia and introduced into North America, feeds chiefly on leaves of the ailanthus tree and the castor oil plant. The olive green adult has a distinctive pattern of crescents on…

saturniid moth: Major species: The caterpillar of the cynthia moth (Samia cynthia or walkeri), also known as the ailanthus silk moth, native to Asia and introduced into North America, feeds chiefly on leaves of the ailanthus tree and the castor oil plant. The olive green adult has a distinctive pattern of crescents on…

terra sigillata ware, bright-red, polished pottery used throughout the Roman Empire from the 1st century bc to the 3rd century ad. The term means literally ware made of clay impressed with designs. Other names for the ware are Samian ware (a misnomer, since it has nothing to do with the island of

Miura Baien: …and authority were evident in Samidare-shō (“Early Summer Rain Collection”), a book criticizing Christianity while advocating loyalty to a supreme being. Miura’s works in Japanese were collected in Baien zenshū, 2 vol. (1912; “Collected Works of Baien”).

March First Movement, series of demonstrations for Korean national independence from Japan that began on March 1, 1919, in the Korean capital city of Seoul and soon spread throughout the country. Before the Japanese finally suppressed the movement 12 months later, approximately 2,000,000 Koreans

Lugus, (Celtic: “Lynx,” or “Light”?), in ancient Celtic religion, one of the major gods. He is one of the deities whom Julius Caesar identified with the Roman god Mercury (Greek: Hermes). His cult was widespread throughout the early Celtic world, and his name occurs as an element in many

Iliya Abu Madi: …started his own bimonthly magazine, Al-Samīr (“The Companion”), which he expanded into a daily newspaper in 1936 and continued to publish until his death. He spent much of his life in the United States.

Hindu Kush: Physiography: … (20,498 feet [6,248 metres]), and Mīr Samīr (19,878 feet [6,059 metres]). These peaks are surrounded by a host of lesser mountains. Glaciers are poorly developed, but the mountain passes—which include Putsigrām (13,450 feet [5,000 metres]), Verān (15,400 feet [4,694 metres]), Rām Gol (15,400 feet [4,694 metres]), and Anjoman (13,850 feet…

samisen, long-necked fretless Japanese lute. The instrument has a small square body with a catskin front and back, three twisted-silk strings, and a curved-back pegbox with side pegs. It is played with a large plectrum; different types of plectrums produce distinct tone colours for specific types

Samit Point, headland and peninsula on the Gulf of Thailand, southwestern Cambodia, forming the western enclosure of shallow Kampong Saom Bay. Behind the cape sits the town of Phumi Samit. Located on the opposite side of the bay is the modern city of Sihanoukville, which is the site of the

Samit Point, headland and peninsula on the Gulf of Thailand, southwestern Cambodia, forming the western enclosure of shallow Kampong Saom Bay. Behind the cape sits the town of Phumi Samit. Located on the opposite side of the bay is the modern city of Sihanoukville, which is the site of the

samizdat, (from Russian sam, “self,” and izdatelstvo, “publishing”), literature secretly written, copied, and circulated in the former Soviet Union and usually critical of practices of the Soviet government. Samizdat began appearing following Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953, largely as a revolt

skandha: …perceptions of sense objects (Sanskrit: saṃjñā; Pāli: saññā); (4) mental formations (saṃskāras/sankhāras); and (5) awareness, or consciousness, of the other three mental aggregates (vijñāna/viññāṇa). All individuals are subject to constant change, as the elements of consciousness are never the same, and man may be compared to a river, which retains…

Zimbabwe: Cultural life: Stanlake Samkange’s novels reconstruct the Shona and Ndebele world of the 1890s, while those of the much younger Charles Mungoshi explore the clash of Shona and Western cultures in both the Shona and English languages. Folk traditions have survived in dance and pottery. The revival…

Indian philosophy: Vaishnava schools: …and strength predominate (known as Samkarshana); the form in which wealth and courage predominate (known as Pradyumna); and the form in which power and energy predominate (known as Aniruddha). Shankara identified Samkarshana with the individual soul, Pradyumna with mind, and Aniruddha with the ego sense. Furthermore, five powers of God…

Farrukhabad-cum-Fatehgarh: Sankisa (ancient Samkashya), to the west, was a famous Buddhist pilgrimage centre and has several mounds that are the remains of Buddhist stupas. Pop. (2001) mun., 228,333; (2011) mun., 276,581.

Samkhya, one of the six systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy. Samkhya adopts a consistent dualism of matter (prakriti) and the eternal spirit (purusha). The two are originally separate, but in the course of evolution purusha mistakenly identifies itself with aspects of prakriti. Right knowledge

Samkhya, one of the six systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy. Samkhya adopts a consistent dualism of matter (prakriti) and the eternal spirit (purusha). The two are originally separate, but in the course of evolution purusha mistakenly identifies itself with aspects of prakriti. Right knowledge

Indian philosophy: Relation to orthodoxy: Ishvarakrishna’s Samkhya-karika (“Verses on Samkhya,” c. 2nd century ce) is the oldest available Samkhya work. Ishvarakrishna describes himself as laying down the essential teachings of Kapila as taught to Asuri and by Asuri to Panchashika. He refers also to Shashtitantra (“Doctrine of 60 Conceptions”), the main…

Indian philosophy: Relation to orthodoxy: The later Samkhya-sutra is more sympathetic toward theism, but the karikas are atheistic, and the traditional expositions of the Samkhya are based on this work.

kīrtana, form of musical worship or group devotion practiced by the Vaiṣṇava sects (followers of the god Vishnu) of Bengal. Kīrtana usually consists of a verse sung by a soloist and then repeated by a chorus, to the accompaniment of percussion instruments. Sometimes the singing gives way to the

Eightfold Path: …stealing, and sexual misconduct, (5) correct livelihood, avoiding trades that directly or indirectly harm others, such as selling slaves, weapons, animals for slaughter, intoxicants, or poisons, (6) correct effort, abandoning negative states of mind that have already arisen, preventing negative states that have yet to arise, and sustaining positive states…

Eightfold Path: …of the path are: (1) correct view, an accurate understanding of the nature of things, specifically the Four Noble Truths, (2) correct intention, avoiding thoughts of attachment, hatred, and harmful intent, (3) correct speech, refraining from verbal misdeeds such as lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and senseless speech, (4) correct…

Eightfold Path: …speech, and senseless speech, (4) correct action, refraining from physical misdeeds such as killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, (5) correct livelihood, avoiding trades that directly or indirectly harm others, such as selling slaves, weapons, animals for slaughter, intoxicants, or poisons, (6) correct effort, abandoning negative states of mind that have…

Eightfold Path: …the existing world), and (8) correct concentration, single-mindedness.

Eightfold Path: …the Four Noble Truths, (2) correct intention, avoiding thoughts of attachment, hatred, and harmful intent, (3) correct speech, refraining from verbal misdeeds such as lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and senseless speech, (4) correct action, refraining from physical misdeeds such as killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, (5) correct livelihood, avoiding…

Eightfold Path: …that have already arisen, (7) correct mindfulness, awareness of body, feelings, thought, and phenomena (the constituents of the existing world), and (8) correct concentration, single-mindedness.

Eightfold Path: …hatred, and harmful intent, (3) correct speech, refraining from verbal misdeeds such as lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and senseless speech, (4) correct action, refraining from physical misdeeds such as killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, (5) correct livelihood, avoiding trades that directly or indirectly harm others, such as selling slaves,…

Eightfold Path: …slaughter, intoxicants, or poisons, (6) correct effort, abandoning negative states of mind that have already arisen, preventing negative states that have yet to arise, and sustaining positive states that have already arisen, (7) correct mindfulness, awareness of body, feelings, thought, and phenomena (the constituents of the existing world), and (8)…

Giovanni Battista Sammartini was an Italian composer who was an important formative influence on the pre-Classical symphony and thus on the Classical style later developed by Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The son of Alexis Saint-Martin, a French oboist, he spent most of his life in

Giuseppe Sammartini was an oboist and composer prominent in England in the first half of the 18th century and brother of Giovanni Battista Sammartini. Giuseppe wrote an aria and sinfonia (both lost) for La Calumnia Delusa, which was performed in Milan in 1724. In about 1728 he went to London, where

Western sculpture: Late Baroque: …the all-revealing shrouds developed by Giuseppe Sammartino. Florentine sculpture of the 18th century is less spectacular, and Giovanni Battista Foggini took back from Rome the compromise style of Ferrarza, while Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi seems to have been instrumental in the brilliant revival there of small-scale bronze statuettes. Giovanni Marchiori worked in…

pratyeka-buddha: …distinguished from the “complete buddha” sammasam-buddha (“complete buddha”), who is and can.

Sammatīya, ancient Buddhist school or group of schools in India that held a distinctive theory concerning the pudgala, or person. They believed that though an individual does not exist independently from the five skandhas, or components that make up his personality, he is at the same time something

South Asian arts: Folk dance: …dances by women are the sammi, kikli, giddha, and luddi. Except for the sammi, which has a slow rhythm accompanied by a sad song because of its association with the tragic love legend of Princess Sammi and Prince Dhola, all the other forms are charged with energy and fast rhythms.…

Hermann Collitz: …a number of other scholars, Sammlung der griechischen Dialektinschriften, 4 vol. (1884–1915; “Collection of Greek Dialect Inscriptions”). This work, which included vocabulary lists and grammatical studies, proved to be a major contribution to Greek comparative linguistics.

Sammu-ramat was an Assyrian queen who became a legendary heroine. Sammu-ramat was the mother of the Assyrian king Adad-nirari III (reigned 810–783 bc). Her stela (memorial stone shaft) has been found at Ashur, while an inscription at Calah (Nimrūd) shows her to have been dominant there after the

John Gotti: …assassinated in a shooting that Salvatore Gravano (“Sammy the Bull”), a Gotti associate, later claimed Gotti witnessed from a parked car. In 1986 Gotti emerged as the leader of the Gambino crime family.

butterfat: Samna is the name for butterfat in Egypt, where it is also prepared in large quantities; it is commonly mixed with the milk fats of sheep and goats.

Semnān, ostān (province), northern Iran, bounded by the ostāns of Raẕavī Khorāsān and South Khorāsān on the east, Eṣfahān on the south, Qom and Tehrān on the west, and Māzandarān and North Khorāsān on the north. The northern half of the region is an extension of the Elburz Mountains pierced by

Semnān, chief city and county (shahrestān) in Semnān ostān (province), northern Iran; it lies 3,734 feet (1,138 metres) above sea level on a large plain at the southern foot of the Elburz Mountains. In the city are an ornamented minaret (12th century) and several large places of worship. Semnān is

gladiator: The Samnites fought with the national weapons—a large oblong shield, a visor, a plumed helmet, and a short sword. The Thraces (“Thracians”) had a small round buckler and a dagger curved like a scythe; they were generally pitted against the mirmillones, who were armed in Gallic…

Samnite, a member of the ancient warlike tribes inhabiting the mountainous centre of southern Italy. These tribes, who spoke Oscan and were probably an offshoot of the Sabini, apparently referred to themselves not as Samnite but by the Oscan form of the word, which appears in Latin as Sabine

ancient Rome: The Samnite Wars: During the 40 years after the second treaty with Carthage, Rome rapidly rose to a position of hegemony in Italy south of the Po valley. Much of the fighting during this time consisted of three wars against the Samnites, who initially were not…

Norwegian language: …Norwegian into one language (Samnorsk) was abandoned in 2002. In its current form Dano-Norwegian is the predominant language of Norway’s population of more than 4.6 million, except in western Norway and among the Sami minority in the north. Dano-Norwegian is used in all national newspapers and in most of…

Burkina Faso: Ethnic groups and languages: …by groups such as the Samo, the Marka, the Busansi, and the Dyula. Other groups of Burkina Faso include the Hausa and the Tuareg, whose languages are classified as Afro-Asiatic, and the

Czechoslovak history: Bohemia: …personalities as the Frankish merchant Samo, who gained control of a large territory in which at least part of Bohemia was included. His death in 658 ended the loosely knit state. A more auspicious era dawned after the Frankish king Charlemagne defeated the Avars in the 8th century.

Samoa, country in the central South Pacific Ocean, among the westernmost of the island countries of Polynesia. According to legend, Samoa is known as the “Cradle of Polynesia” because Savai‘i island is said to be Hawaiki, the Polynesian homeland. Samoan culture is undoubtedly central to Polynesian

Samoa, group of Polynesian islands and islets in the south-central Pacific Ocean about 1,600 miles (2,600 km) northeast of New Zealand. American Samoa, a dependency of the United States, consists of the six islands east of longitude 171° W, including Tutuila. Samoa, an independent nation since

Pacific Islands: Foreign intervention and control: …supervision set up by the Samoa Act of 1889 came to grief in European rivalries and Samoan factionalism over chieftainships, an agreement of 1899 divided the Samoa group between Germany and the United States; Britain received compensation elsewhere. Britain was mainly concerned with the activity of its nationals, and it…

national flag consisting of a red field (background) with a blue canton incorporating the Southern Cross constellation in white. The flag’s width-to-length ratio is 1 to 2.The first truly national flag of Samoa appears to have been adopted on October 2, 1873. The red background bore a white cross

history of Samoa, a survey of notable events and people in Samoa. Known as the “Cradle of Polynesia” because legend places the Polynesian homeland on the island of Savai‘i, Samoa was the first country among the Pacific Islands to gain independence, in 1962. Polynesians traveling in outrigger canoes

American Samoa: People: …(more than nine-tenths) is ethnically Samoan; there are tiny minorities of Tongan and Filipino origin and of people of mixed ethnicity. The Samoans are a Polynesian people closely related to the native peoples of New Zealand, French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Tonga. The Samoan way of life, or fa‘a Samoa, is…