The most comprehensive study ever produced on Pacific Islands economies, this book includes extensive information on governments, business and population. The author examines the economic structures and developpment of Pacific Islands, principally South Pacific Island Forum members, most of which face formidable obstacles to economic growth. Small land area and scattered distribution lead to problems of transportation, telecommunications, isolation, marketing, limited industrial potential and, in many cases extreme poverty of physical resources. The regional perspectives of this book, while employing specific case studies, also makes it a first in its field.