Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navis. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Today's Spotlight is looking at two very different island populations. One lives on the island of Tristan Da Cunha. The other group of people live on the islands of The Maldives. Both populations have very interesting stories and histories. Both groups have also questioned the future of their islands. Here is Steve Myersco to tell us about the first island: Tristan Da Cunha.
Voice 2
Tristan Da Cunha is a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about ten kilometres wide and shaped like a circle. One thing makes Tristan Da Cunha particularly interesting. It is the loneliest island community on earth. The nearest people are over 2000 kilometres away.
Voice 1
The other island community is in the Indian Ocean. Marina Santee introduces us to The Maldives.
Voice 3
The Maldives is about 600 kilometres south west of India. This country is a group of over 1000 islands. These are naturally formed in to 26 groups. About 200 of the islands have people living on them.
Voice 1
Tristan Da Cunha and The Maldives are both island populations. But the communities are different in many ways.
Voice 2
Tristan Da Cunha has a population of less than 300 people. Everyone on the island has one of just seven family names. These names all have their origins in the 19th century. This was when British and American settlers came to the island. Also, sailors from Italy and the Netherlands crashed into the island by mistake. These settlers and sailors decided to stay and start families. The island was first claimed by the British about 200 years ago. The British named the only town on the island after one of it major cities: ‘Edinburgh of the Seven Seas'.
Voice 3
The Maldives has a population of over 300,000 people. Settlers first arrived on the islands over 2000 years ago. These setters were from many different ethnic groups - Indians, Sri Lankans, North Africans, and Arabs. People from these different ethnic groups married each other. This gave the population of The Maldives a rich ethnic mix.
Voice 2
Tristan Da Cunha is so far from other places that few people visit. The island has no airport so people arrive by boat. This trip can be difficult and takes several days. Because the community is so separated from the world, it is almost unique. To some people it could seem that life would be lonely and uninteresting. But the people living there do not seem to think so. Leon Green lives on the island. He is 23 years old. He told the American news group CNN:
Voice 4
‘Currently, there are not many young people on the island. But those of us that are here want to stay. Almost no one leaves Tristan for ever. The quality of life here is so high. It's so safe; you know everyone and there are no worries for money. I worked in the UK for a while. I am pleased to have seen life away from the island. But I am happiest here on the island.'
Voice 3
The Maldives welcomes thousands of visitors every year. These holiday-makers help the local economy. The islands are popular thanks to their beautiful sandy coasts and nice weather.
Voice 1
However, the power of nature is now putting the Maldives at risk. The people of The Maldives may one day have to leave the islands. This is something the people of Tristan Da Cunha have already experienced. Over 40 years ago the volcano at the centre of Tristan Da Cunha forced them to leave.
Voice 2
In 1961, the volcano on Tristan Da Cunha did what volcanoes do - it erupted. So, the islanders all moved to the UK. Life here was very different for them. Suddenly there were far more people and different ways of living. There was also the British weather! The people of Tristan Da Cunha did not like it. They just wanted to go home. Eventually it was safe for the islanders to return to Tristan Da Cunha. They could have stayed in Britain if they had wanted. However, almost all of them decided to return. So, after two years in the UK they travelled back to the South Atlantic - back to their own little island.
Voice 3
The people of the Maldives face a very different risk to their islands. The Maldive Islands are very flat. The average height of the islands is only one and a half metres above sea-level. This makes it the lowest country in the world. The problem is this: if the sea level rises any more, water could cover the islands. But the government is trying to provide a future for its nation. It is building a whole new island. The island is called Hulhulmale. This man-made island is higher than other islands in The Maldives. It was created by digging up sand from the sea bed and putting it in one place. When this island is finished, there will be places to live, places to buy things, and spaces to rest in. The man in charge of the project is Mohamed Mauroof Jameel. He spoke to an Australian newspaper called ‘The Age'.
Voice 5
‘We need to build one metre higher than our main island, although this is much more costly for us. Hulhumale gives us an extra 50 years to survive. After that we will have to do something else.'
Voice 3
But the island is not a complete solution. It is not big enough for all the Maldivian people to live on. Also, climate change remains a problem for the whole world. So, the new island could also one day be at risk from the sea. This is why the Maldivian president has appealed to the world's richest countries. He wants them to do more to help stop climate change.
Voice 1
The islanders of Tristan Da Cunha know what it is like to have to leave their island. The people of the Maldives may one day also know how this feels. Sea levels may continue to rise. And if they do, the Maldivians could have to do more than the Tristan Da Cunha islanders. The population of the Maldives may have to say goodbye to their islands, forever.
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