Kirabati:
Formerly called the Gilbert Islands, this small country isolated in the Pacific Ocean has its share of problems. Phosphate ran out in 1979, and a year later, Kiribati gained its independence from Britain. Droughts in the dry season are on ongoing problem, and because there's not much paying work, many inhabitants travel to other islands to be guest workers. The women stay behind and run the farms. For the most part, Kiribati people are subsistence farmers, living on coconuts, other crops and fish. Appallingly, U.S. and other foreign companies want to dump industrial waste into the lagoons! Other than that, overpopulation on the island of Tarawa is a concern. Tourism may be developed on Kiritimati, which has villages called London and Paris.