Curriculum Island Economies
Island Economies
How small islands make a living: the challenges of size and distance, the Maldives, Mauritius, Fiji, Caribbean tourism and offshore finance, Pacific islands facing rising seas, Iceland's fishing and banking story, India's Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands, and lessons for small economies.
- Why Small Islands Face Special Challenges How small size, remoteness and exposure to disasters make island economies different, why they often depend on a few sectors, and how they can still prosper. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Maldives: Tourism, Debt and Ties with India How the Maldives built a luxury tourism economy on 1,000-plus coral islands, why it faces heavy debt and climate risk, and its close but sometimes tense ties with India. 📄 Read-aloud
- Mauritius: From Sugar to Services How Mauritius transformed from a sugar economy into a middle-to-high-income country through export zones, tourism and financial services, and its tax treaty with India. 📄 Read-aloud
- Fiji: Sugar, Tourism and the Indo-Fijians How Fiji's economy depends on tourism and sugar, the role of Indo-Fijians descended from indentured workers, and how land leases and coups affected the economy. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Caribbean: Tourism and Offshore Finance How Caribbean islands rely on tourism and offshore financial services, citizenship-by-investment programmes, and the region's exposure to hurricanes and debt. 📄 Read-aloud
- Pacific Islands and Rising Seas How low-lying Pacific nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati face existential threats from sea-level rise, how they rely on fishing licences and aid, and new ideas like climate migration deals. 📄 Read-aloud
- Island Economies: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on small islands, the Maldives, Mauritius, Fiji and the Caribbean. 5 questions
- Iceland: Fish, Banks and Recovery How Iceland built wealth from fishing with a quota system, how its banks grew too big and collapsed in 2008, and how it recovered by letting banks fail. 📄 Read-aloud
- The Andaman and Nicobar Islands How India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands depend on government, tourism and fishing, the strategic Great Nicobar project, and concerns about forests and indigenous tribes. 📄 Read-aloud
- Lakshadweep: Tourism and Fragile Reefs How India's tiny Lakshadweep islands depend on fishing and coconut, why tourism interest surged in 2024, and the challenges of limited land, water and fragile coral. 📄 Read-aloud
- Islands, Tax and Sovereignty for Sale How some small islands earn by selling sovereignty-based services like internet domains, ship registrations and fishing rights, and the trade-offs involved. 📄 Read-aloud
- Connecting Islands: Shipping, Flights and Cables How transport and digital connectivity shape island economies, from inter-island ferries to undersea cables, and why connectivity investments pay off. 📄 Read-aloud
- Lessons from Island Economies What island economies teach about specialisation, governance, vulnerability and resilience, and a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud