Not all islands are resort destinations or tropical paradises. This lesson explores the indigenous cultures of islands around the world. With limited natural resources and often harsh environments, island cultures are faced with problems such as finding food and water and creating an established market economy. How are island cultures around the world coping with a growing capitalist economy? In what ways are island cultures vulnerable?

Geography, economics

Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Wall map of the world
• Push pins or stickers to locate islands on world map
• Xpeditions atlas
• Writing materials

Students will

• learn how indigenous island cultures obtain food, water, and foster a profitable economy;
• discover why the land, too, is very vulnerable and susceptible to human disturbances;
• search the Internet for valid and accurate sources; and
• study an island in detail and present detailed information about it to the class.

Island cultures around the world today are faced with trying to maintain their identity while sustaining their economy. Ask your class to think about the different reasons people come to settle on remote islands. What kinds of problems might island cultures face? Write students' ideas on the board, or on a large sheet of paper.

Have students select a partner and ask each pair to choose an island (or chain of islands) to study further. [Note: Try not to let more than one pair study the same island, and aim for diverse selections; for example, the Aleutian Islands and Cape Verde.]

First, ask students to explore National Geographic's Dangerous Archipelago which follows explorer Jon Bowermaster as he travels to some of the most remote islands on the planet with his crew. As they read through Bowermaster's dispatches, ask students to think about the following issues, both for the islands Bowermaster visits in the South Pacific, and for the islands they have chosen to study in this lesson. Suggested Web sites are listed at the end as starting points for students' research.

Environment

Islands are environmentally vulnerable in a number of ways. Ask students how islands' geographic characteristics might cause problems for residents or visitors. Think about weather and other natural forces, particularly hurricanes and volcanoes.

Foreign-born diseases sometimes impact island communities more strongly than they impact continental lands. Why is this so? Have your students investigate whether diseases have impacted their islands.

Invasive species have affected most land masses including islands. Invasive species or non-native species can be introduced accidentally or intentionally. Which non-native species are affecting the students' islands and what is being done about it?

Food and water

Foraging for food on some islands does not mean going down to the corner supermarket and buying a dozen fresh eggs. On the contrary, people in island communities like those found on Roatán, off the coast of Honduras, catch, prepare, and serve fish all in the same day, without ever seeing a delivery truck.

Food may not be the only problem for islands. Obtaining fresh water may be difficult as well. How do islands obtain food and drinkable water? Why have some islands not changed food consumption patterns? Is it to protect cultural integrity or is it just economically not feasible?

What about other necessities of life—are they all manufactured on the island or are they imported? What are the implications of this?

Economy

It can be expensive for islands to do business, and difficult to compete with mainland countries. How do island nations support themselves economically? Do they rely on exporting natural resources? Is there a strong agricultural base? How does tourism fit in, if at all?

Indigenous peoples and human migration

Is there an indigenous population on the island? Who are they? Research their language and religion, and other aspects of their culture. Is their way of life being threatened?

Perhaps the island is being affected by immigration or emigration. What are the positives and negatives of these situations?

Web sites:

National Geographic: Expedition—Dangerous Archipelago
National Geographic: Virtual World—Great Barrier Reef
National Geographic News: Raw Human Waste Killing Off Human Reefs?
Global Invasive Species Index
IMF (International Monetary Fund)
PBS: NOVA Online—Garden of Eden
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
World Bank
World's Water

Bring students back together in a group to discuss the issues faced by islands around the world. Are there common issues all island cultures must contend with, regardless of their location and history? What do students see as the biggest problem island cultures face?

Have the pair groups make presentations to the class about the specific island(s) they chose to study more closely. Students should feel free to present information creatively, as long as their presentations include

• locating their island(s) on a world wall map;
• presenting the class with a basic map of the island(s) [Note: Students can use the Xpeditions atlas as a starting point.]
• discussing the issues they examined during the development of the lesson: food and water, environment, economy, and indigenous peoples and human migration;
• a statement of the problems faced in the past, and those that exist today for their island(s); and
• recommendations for how the island(s) might address current problems.

Ask students to choose one of the islands studied and create a three-dimensional model out of clay, paper, or other material. The model should reflect geographical features as well as other aspects of island life (cultural, economic, agricultural, etc.).

Global Invasive Species Index
IMF (International Monetary Fund)
National Geographic News: Raw Human Waste Killing Off Coral Reefs?
National Geographic: Expedition—Dangerous Archipelago
World Bank
World’s Water