ABSTRACT
People migrate when forced to do so by irresistible circumstances at home, such as war or natural disaster, or when they perceive some betterment in social and/ or economic circumstances to be gained from choosing to move. There are often high rates of emigration from small islands. It is not being on an island per se that leads to migration; people leave because of the circumstances they face and given the constraints imposed by insularity, adverse circumstances frequently arise in the small island situation. Small islands are often fragile places at risk from natural disaster; they are powerless places and have often been subject to military interference and warfare; they often have insufficient resources for their inhabitants to be able to make a decent living. These factors would all encourage migration. Further, small island society can be confining and restrictive because of its scale; this can also encourage the young to seek fresh pastures elsewhere.
