This book is a comparative study of a number of dependent and independent tropical island and archipelagoes. 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. It asks why three of France's former colonies opted for full departmental status and what range of options are open to the remaining British and Dutch island dependencies. It also looks at security issues, contrasting the privileged position of Reunion and Mauritius with the precarious survival of Comoros and Sao Tome since their independence in 1975. The development strategies of various islands are critically examined - Maldives, Micronesia, Fiji, the Cook Islands and Sao Tome and Principe coming under individual scrutiny. The legacy of colonial rule has been a high propensity to import and a dependence on a narrow range of marketable crops. The book argues that development strategies must take into account the need to support populations on remote islands, that economic development must be adapted to ecological constraints and traditional social structures, and that shipping plays and will continue to play a key role in any consideration of the future of island states.