exposing themselves to the exigencies of foreign influences. In a relative
sense they tend to be far more dependent upon events in the international
economy and/or modern nations than are larger Third World nations.
Thus it would appear that smaller Third World nations face a cadre of
problems that are further complicated by their size, any or all of which
may contribute to obstructing their development.

Smallness is more typical of Third World nations than might gen-
erally be expected. Recent data indicate that more than 70 Third World
nations have populations below the 10 million mark and that 7 more are
in the 10 million range. Of those below 10 million, 36 are on the African
continent, 22 are in Latin America, and the remainder can be found in
Asia, Oceania, and Europe. Thus smallness can be seen to be a world-
wide phenomenon. Despite that fact, the small nations in question do not
form a homogeneous group that can be studied, as such, in hopes of
arriving at prescriptions the planners can administer to many or all of
them to speed them on their way toward development.

The current volume does not concern itself with smaller Third World
nations in general. Rather, it concentrates upon a particular subgroup of
those nations that may have certain unique issues to deal with beyond
those appearing to be more generally prevalent among smaller jurisdic-
tions. The subset of nations in question is islands. Among the small
island nations (SINs) of the world, the discussion is limited to two
geographical groupings -- the islands of the Caribbean region and those
of the South Pacific. ¹

It is hoped that this discussion of small island concerns against the
backdrop of the selected regional groupings will give a good under-
standing of various developmental problems facing such small econo-
mies. The regional groupings selected embrace jurisdictions with a
diversity of cultural, social, and political backgrounds and linkages,
which undoubtedly have a bearing upon current economic realities.

In the Caribbean region, although domestic cultures are largely
extinct, British, Dutch, French, and Spanish influences, not to mention
those of the United States, would appear to ensure a diversity of experi-
ences contributing to developmental equations. The region embraces 15
independent states as well as various islands still linked politically in
some fashion to Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States.
In the South Pacific, or perhaps more accurately Oceania, the islands of
concern form three regional subgroupings. Micronesia encompasses the
area mainly north of the equator and west of the date line. Melanesia
covers the region south of the equator and west of the date line. The third
subregion is known as Polynesia.

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