This book is a comparative study of a number of dependent and independent tropical islands and archipelagos. Its contributors seek to answer a number of vital questions affecting the security, political status and economic development of some of the world's smallest and most remote communities.

Contributions by: Robert Aldrich, John Cameron, John Connell, Fred Constant, Henrique Pinto da Costa, Mike Faber, David Hamilton-Jones, Helen M. Hintjens