SMALL STATES,BIG ISSUES? HUMAN GEOGRAPHY IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

The Pacific Islands present a different context for the study of human geography in the Third World. Though marked by much diversity in terms of culture, environment and history, there are key features which distinguish the region. Compared to elsewhere and with the notable exception of Papua New Guinea, they are small in terms of population, land area and resource base, yet many have attained independent nationhood. Island states are frequently fragmented so that small islands with small populations may be spread over vast expanses of ocean, creating particular problems of communication and integration. Moreover, the region is isolated. Although major trade routes cut across the Pacific, in practice, local economies are not well linked and outlying islands face high transport costs and infrequent services. Such features, largely peculiar to the Pacific, together with more universal themes of economic, cultural, political and social transformation have occupied the attention of human geographers in the past 40 years. Most early work was done by researchers from Australia, New Zealand and France but in the past two decades, the growth of regional tertiary institutions has led to a major growth of more locally-based work, much by Pacific Islanders themselves. Such a change has mirrored some major paradigmatic shifts, particularly from modernization theory through neo-Marxism to present interests in development from below and sustainability. Thus, despite the relative smallness of Pacific Island states, they have attracted much attention, both contributing to wider debates and adding new issues and perspectives on the processes of transformation of the geography of the Third World.