Samoan Tala (WST)

Basic Concepts of the Samoan Tala

The Samoan Tala is the official currency of the Independent State of Samoa, with the international standardized code WST and the symbol usually written "T". It is a legal tender, issued and managed by the Central Bank of Samoa.

Areas of use

The Samoan Tala circulates only within the Independent State of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa). Samoa is located in the center of the Polynesian archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, is an island nation consisting of two main islands and several smaller islands.

Units and Denominations

The Samoan tala uses a decimal system, with 1 tala equaling 100 cents (sene). Banknotes currently in circulation are in denominations of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 tala; coins are in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents and 1 tala.

Historical Background

The Samoan Tala was officially introduced in 1967, replacing the previously used Samoan pound. This currency reform enabled Samoa to transition from a pound sterling-based monetary system to a decimal system. The name of the currency, "tala", means "dollar" in Samoan, reflecting its historical association with the U.S. dollar, with which the Samoan tala had been pegged to the New Zealand dollar until 1990, when it was pegged to a basket of currencies.