<P> Major areas of concern include the under - representation of women, domestic violence and poor prison conditions . Homosexual acts are illegal in Samoa . </P> <P> In June 2017, an Act was passed changing the country's constitution to include a reference to the Trinity . As amended, Article 1 of the Samoan Constitution states that "Samoa is a Christian nation founded of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit". According to The Diplomat, "What Samoa has done is shift references to Christianity into the body of the constitution, giving the text far more potential to be used in legal processes ." The preamble to the constitution already described the country as "an independent State based on Christian principles and Samoan custom and traditions ." </P> <P> Samoa lies south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean . The total land area is 2,842 km2 (1,097 sq mi), consisting of the two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i (which together account for 99% of the total land area) and eight small islets . </P> <P> These are the three islets in the Apolima Strait (Manono Island, Apolima and Nu'ulopa), the four Aleipata Islands off the eastern end of Upolu (Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Namua, and Fanuatapu), and Nu'usafe'e which is less than 1 hectare (21⁄2 acres) in area and about 1.4 km (0.9 mi) off the south coast of Upolu at the village of Vaovai . The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three - quarters of Samoa's population, and to the capital city, Apia . </P>

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