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Small Island Developing States
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Who are the SIDS
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) include low-lying
coastal countries that share similar sustainable development challenges,
including small population, limited resources, remoteness,
susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks,
and excessive dependence on international trade. Their growth and
development is often further stymied by high transportation and
communication costs, disproportionately expensive public administration
and infrastructure due to their small size, and little to no opportunity
to create economies of scale.
Currently, fifty-one small island developing States and territories are
included in the list used by the United Nations Department of Economic
and Social Affairs in monitoring the sustainable development of SIDS.
These countries are often categorized by their three regions; the
Caribbean, the Pacific, and the AIMS (Africa, Indian Ocean,
Mediterranean and South China Sea). These States and territories often
work together in the United Nations through the
Alliance of Small Island States
(AOSIS).
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| 1. |
Cape Verde
Population: 506,800 (2005); Terrain: rugged,
rocky, volcanic; coastline: 965 km |
| 2. |
Comoros
Population: 600,500 (2005); Terrain: volcanic islands;
Coastline: 340 km |
| 3. |
Guinea-Bissau
Population: 1,600,000 (2005); Terrain: mostly
low coastal plain; Coastline: 350 km |
| 4. |
Maldives
Population: 329,200 (2005); Terrain: flat; Coastline:
644 km |
| 5. |
Mauritius
Population: 1,200,000 (2005); Terrain: small coastal
plain, central plateau; Coastline: 177 km |
| 6. |
Sao
Tome and Principe
Population: 156,500 (2005); Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous; Coastline: 209 km |
| 7. |
Seychelles
Population: 84,494 (2005); Terrain: narrow coastal
strip, coral, flat; Coastline: 491 km |
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| 1. |
American Samoa
1/ 4/
Population: 58,300 (2005); Terrain: five
volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited
coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island,
Swains Island); Coastline: 116 km |
| 2. |
Bahrain 2/
Population: 726,600 (2005); Terrain: mostly low
desert plain; Coastline: 161 km |
| 3. |
Commonwealth of
the Northern Marianas 1/
2/
Population: 79,100 (2005); Terrain: southern
islands are limestone with level terraces and
fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic;
Coastline: 1,482 km |
| 4. |
Cook Islands
1/ 3/
Population: 20,000 (2002); Terrain: low
coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands
in south; Coastline: 120 km |
| 5. |
Fiji
Population: 847,700 (2005); Terrain: mountainous
of volcanic origin, coral atolls; Coastline: 1,129
km |
| 6. |
French Polynesia
1/
2/ 4/
Population: 256,000 (2005) ;
Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low
islands with reefs; Coastline: 2,525 km |
| 7. |
Guam
1/ 4/
Population: 169,600 (2005) ;
Terrain: volcanic origin, surrounded by coral
reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau
(source of most fresh water), with steep coastal
cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low
hills in center, mountains in south; Coastline:
125.5 km |
| 8. |
Kiribati
Population: 99,000 (2005); Terrain: low-lying
coral atolls; Coastline: 1,143 km |
| 9. |
Marshall
Islands
Population: 63,266 (2005); Terrain: low coral
limestone and sand islands; Coastline: 370 km |
| 10. |
Federated
State of Micronesia
Population: 110,500 (2005); Terrain: low coral
atolls, volcanic, mountainous; Coastline: 6,112
km |
| 11. |
Nauru
Population: 13,287 (2006); Terrain: sandy
beach, coral reefs, phosphate plateau; Coastline:
30 km |
| 12. |
New Caledonia 1/
2/
4/
Population: 241,000 (2006); Terrain: coastal
plains with interior mountains; Coastline: 2,254
km |
| 13. |
Niue 1/
3/
Population: 1,607 (2007); Terrain: limestone
cliffs, central plateau; Coastline: 64 km |
| 14. |
Palau
Population: 20,000 (2006); Terrain: low coral
islands, mountainous main island; Coastline: 1,519
km |
| 15. |
Papua New Guinea
Population: 5,887,000 (2006); Terrain: coastal
lowlands, mountains; Coastline: 5,152 km |
| 16. |
Samoa
Population: 179,186 (2006); Terrain: narrow
coastal plains, interior mountains; Coastline:
403 km |
| 17. |
Solomon Islands
Population: 552,438 (2006); Terrain: low coral
atolls, rugged mountains; Coastline: 5,313 km |
| 18. |
Singapore
Population: 4,608,167 (2008); Terrain: lowland;
gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve; Coastline:
193 km |
| 19. |
Timor-Leste
Population: 947,000 (2005); Terrain: mountainous;
Coastline: 706 km |
| 20. |
Tonga
Population: 114,689 (2006); Terrain: coral
formation, volcanic; Coastline: 419 km |
| 21. |
Tuvalu
Population: 11,000 (2006); Terrain: low-lying
and narrow coral atolls; Coastline: 24 km |
| 22. |
Vanuatu
Population: 211,000 (2006); Terrain: narrow
coastal plains, mountains of volcanic origin;
Coastline: 2,528 km |
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| 1. |
Anguila1/
2/ 4/
Population: 13,008 (2004) ;
Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and
limestone; Coastline: 61 km |
| 2. |
Antigua and Barbuda
Population: 81,000 (2006);
Terrain: low-lying limestone and
coral islands; Coastline: 153 km |
| 3. |
Aruba1/
2/ 4/
Population: 108,000 (2005); Terain: flat;
brush trees for vegetation; Coastline: 70 km |
| 4. |
The Bahamas
Population: 323,000 (2006); Terrain:
long, flat coral formations;
Coastline: 3,542 km |
| 5. |
Barbados
Population: 270,000 (2006);
Terrain: flat, central highland;
Coastline: 97 km |
| 6. |
Belize
Population: 291,800 (2005); Terrain: flat,
swampy coastal plain; low
mountains in south; Coastline:
386 km |
| 7. |
British Virgin
Islands1/
2/ 4/
Population: 20,254 (2004); Terrain: coral
islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep,
hilly; Coastline: 80 km |
| 8. |
Cuba
Population: 11,273,500 (2002); Terrain: terraced plains,
small hills, mountains;
Coastline: 5,746 km |
| 9. |
Dominica
Population: 79,000 (2005);
Terrain: rugged mountains of
volcanic origin; Coastline: 148
km |
| 10. |
Dominican Republic
2/
Population: 8,639,000 (2002) |
| 11. |
Grenada
Population: 106,500 (2005);
Terrain: volcanic in origin,
central mountains; Coastline:
121 km |
| 12. |
Guyana
Population: 751,223 (2002); Terrain: mostly
rolling highlands; low coastal
plain; savanna in south;
Coastline: 459 km |
| 13. |
Haiti
Population: 8,407,000 (2002);
Terrain: mostly rough and
mountainous, tropical;
Coastline: 1,771 km |
| 14. |
Jamaica
Population: 2,654,500 (2005); Terrain:
narrow coastal plains,
mountains; Coastline: 1,022 km |
| 15. |
Montserrat1/
2/ 4/
Population: 9,245 (July 2004 estimate);
Terrain: volcanic island, mostly mountainous,
with small coastal lowland; Coastline: 40 km |
| 16. |
Netherlands
Antilles
1/ 4/
Population: 185,513 (2005); Terrain:
hilly, volcanic interiors; Coastline: 364 km |
| 17. |
Puerto Rico1/
4/
Population: 3,900,000 (2005); Terrain:
mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in
north; mountains precipitous to sea on west
coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas;
Coastline: 501 km |
| 18. |
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Population: 48,000 (2005);
Terrain: volcanic, mountainous
interiors; Coastline: 135 km |
| 19. |
Saint Lucia
Population: 164,791 (2005); Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous with broad
valleys; Coastline: 158 km |
| 20. |
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Population: 119,000 (2005);
Terrain: volcanic, mountainous;
Coastline: 84 km |
| 21. |
Suriname
Population: 449,200 (2005); Terrain: mostly
rolling hills; narrow coastal
plain with swamps; Coastline:
386 km |
| 22. |
Trinidad & Tobago
Population: 1,300,000 (2005); Terrain: flat,
hilly, mountainous; Coastline:
362 km |
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23. |
U.S.
Virgin Islands
1/
4/
Population: 115,000 (2005); Terrain:
hilly, rugged, mountainous; Coastline: 188 km |
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1/ Associate
Member of a UN Regional Commission
2/ Not a Member or Observer of
the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
3/ States non-Members of the
United Nations
4/ Territories non-Members of
the United Nations
NOTE: Population figures are estimates
obtained from government and UN statistical
databases.�
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