Contenu du sommaire : Iles tropicales.

Saint-Barthélemy : the tourist politic and its limits. A very small island (24 km 2) in the North Caribbean, Saint Barthélémy presents the picture of a tropical tourist paradise created for the well-to-do traveler. Taking advantage of its limited size, the island has always known how to, and has been able to select a quality visitor rather than a countless number of them. The small amount of its hotel facilities as well as the difficulty of access to the island has assured it of its tranquility. But this equilibrium today seems to be threatened. The authors of this paper study the nature of the tourist activity of St Barthélémy as well as its physical and human limits.

Economic and Social Development in a French Community in the English-Speaking Antilles : The Case of «Frenchies» in Saint Thomas, in the American Virgin Islands. Taking advantage of the economic growth in Saint Thomas that began towards the end of the XlXth century, a French community, coming from Saint Barth, settled in the island in order to apply its fishing and farming methods. The French settlers are divided into two village groups, and although the evolution of one was influenced by decisions made locally, the second group, isolated on the northern coast of the island, experienced a development that was more autarchic. After studying the growth of Saint Thomas, we see how these two groups managed to organize themselves in an environment that was at times constraining, then adapt definitely to the economic and social structure of the American Virgin Islands.

Emigrants and Clandestine Travelers from Greater Comoro, Comoro Islands. Emigration to foreign regions is a Greater Comoran constant since the colonization period. These people, formerly called «sailors», because of their employment with the large shipping companies, form 10% of the population. Emigration was at first directed to French ports ; Zanzibar and Madagascar, the last two destinations closed to the emigrants in, respectively, 1966 an 1976, under difficult conditions (Comoran citizens were chased from Zanzibar and Mahajanga ). An indépendant people since July 1975, citizens from Greater Comoro can no longer settle in their former mother country, France, nor in Reunion and Mayotte, except by using illegal means such as contracting white marriages or purchasing Mahoran identity cards. Often clandestine, the Greater Comoran immigrants, the number of which varies between 50 000 et 100 000 live poorly in the most run-down neighborhoods of Reunion or the large French cities. The goals of these migrants, mainly masculine (67%) are, to be sure, economic and intellectual, like those of their African brothers, but what is unique in their intentions is the accumulation of savings that would be sufficient for them to honor their customs, especially a «big marriage». This is why there is such a preponderance of Greater Comorans (80% ) out of the total Comoran diaspora community and who save for from five to ten years, with great discretion and in an atmosphere of communal aid. The annual returns of these migrants, called the «I come from...», enables the informal transfer of money, celebration of customs, and arouses the admiration, more, the envy of their compatriots who have remained in their native land.

Cultural Tourism and Tourism of the Masses in Bali, Indonesia. Leader of the cultural tourist trade, Bali today is confronted with tourism of the masses. Kuta, the former «hitchhiker» stop, is now but a typical seaside resort with a wide range of international hotels and a wild night life. And Ubud, the traditional cultural cradle of the island, has begun to experience a lower quality of artistic and craftsmen wares due to mass production. Created with the idea of cultural preservation and thus a geographical separation between local inhabitants and visitors, cultural tourism has led to the sacrifice of the southern part of the island to the tourist trade. The chronic pressure on this part of Bali, the rapid increase in the number of tourists, but also the desire of a certain number of Bali residents to profit from the tourist trade, has had the result of a spread of resorts in every direction. But this expansion, combined with the size of the projects, makes one wonder whether the natural environment will be respected and, also, whether it will favor the financial and social investments of the local population.

Urbanization in Guam. Guam is the largest and most southern of the Mariana Islands. It is composed of three physical units. It is subject to earthquakes. Discovered in 1521 by Magellan, it was already thickly populated at the time. A trust territory of the American union since 1950, its economy has grown considerably since the end of World War II. A policy adopted in 1960 to attract foreign capital was at the origin of a veritable real estate boom, the promotors being mainly Japanese. The present state of urban planning -residential space, tourist facilities, acquisition of land buinesses and light industry, construction a large facilities and of a military net work -has influenced population distribution and the organization of activities.

The Consequences of Tectonic Instability in Wallis and Futuna. The seismic occurrence of March 13, 1993 caused considerable damage that was aggravated by the terribly run-down state of the environment. The Futuna andAlofi Islands (Horn Islands Archipelago ) were shaken by an earthquake the magnitude of 6.5 that was responsible for three deaths and leveled churches, and poorly constructed dwellings, and created rock and landslides. The seismic activity, begun on March 11th, raised the seashore of the island by from 50 centimeters to 1 meter -which was not an unknown phenomenon to the islanders. A former underwater volcano, Futuna Island is a mountain in the ocean covered with madreporic calcareous rocks. Formed of three basalt series of a back-arch basin, aged from the Pliocene to the Quaternary, the Horn Islands Archipelago, caught in the North Fijian transforming fault, the Peguy Ridge and the Pandora Ridge, emerges slowly from the Atlantic as a progressive flaking of the lithospheric plate. For the Futunian inhabitants, seismic convulsions are a part of everyday experience. Homes built in the traditional manner withstand them well, but poorly built structures represent the main risk. Furthermore, demographic pressure (there are more than 55 inhabitants per square kilometer ) has led to an extension of farming based on scorched earth and to a sharp reduction in the amount of fallow land. A thin vegetation cover called «toafa» has replaced the rain forest and exposes the slopes and ridges to serious erosion damage. Seismic movements thus trigger mud slides and falling rock that level everything in their path. Along the coast, where the majority of dwellings are located, tidal waves constitute the third grave risk for the inhabitants. To prevent further devastation and reduce loss of life, the pressure of demographic growth must recede, crop output increase on the farms, greater consideration given to the growth possibilities of the environment, and anti-seismic codes adopted as regards building practices.