3. Overseas territorial collectivities:

• Mayotte


• Saint Pierre and Miquelon

4. Overseas territories of France:

• French Polynesia


• French Southern and Antarctic Lands


• New Caledonia


• Wallis and Futuna

5. Possessions of France, for example:

• Bassas da India


• Glorioso Islands

• Carrett, B. 2006. Geophysical Hazards and Hazard Awareness on Nisyros Volcano, Greece. MSc dissertation from Geophysical Hazards at University College London, London, U.K., download the full text (1.1 MB in pdf).

  The Kos-Yali-Nisyros volcanic field, as well as the island volcano of Nisyros lie in an area of intense tectonic activity. In the past 160 thousand years the island has witnessed many volcanic eruptions of different types and magnitudes presenting varying degrees of hazard. Several types of hazard are possible on Nisyros: seismic activity from regional tectonics, seismic activity associated with magmatic and hydrothermal unrest, hydrothermal eruptions, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunami. In 1995, the volcano gave signs of renewing activity in the form of intense seismicity, ground deformation and significant variations in the chemical and temperature parameters of fumaroles, however volcanic activity did not result.

  The data attained on Nisyros show that the local population have little hazard awareness regarding the range of hazards that potentially affect the island. Sixty-six percent of locals interviewed were unsure regarding the most recent volcanic activity on the island, which manifested as hydrothermal eruptions in the late half on the nineteenth century. Fifteen percent of locals are aware that no civil protection plans currently exist for the island, along with a further 48% who are unsure.

  The Mayor of the island confirmed that no plans are in place regarding any magnitude of volcanic eruption, and commented that the current, general disaster management plan, Xenokratis, has not been revised to consider the hazards affecting Nisyros. Both residents and tourists are at a high risk from the hazards affecting the island and from a future eruption of the Nisyros volcano.



Nisyros, Greece.
(Copyright Ben Carrett 2006)

• Karababa, F. 2007. Local Seismic Construction Practices as a Means to Vulnerability Reduction and Sustainable Development. PhD dissertation from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K., download the full text of part 1 (5.2 MB in pdf) and full text of part 2 (6.8 MB in pdf).

  The study and conservation of local seismic construction practices, as a valuable source for technical, has been recently recognised. However, a conceptual gap is identified in addressing their conservation in the wider context of vulnerability reduction and sustainable development, compromising the potential for success of supportive policies.

  By conceptualising local seismic construction practices as capital, this thesis proposes a theoretical framework within which its conservation can be envisioned as a means to reducing vulnerability and moving towards more sustainable development. Adopting a mixed-method research strategy and a case-study research design, the application of the conceptual framework is demonstrated in the case of Lefkada Island in Greece. Each of the four key constructs (local seismic construction practices, physical vulnerability, social vulnerability, perceptions of local seismic construction practices) that constitute the framework are analytically examined with methods developed and illustrated where necessary. Inter-relationships between the key constructs are hypothesised and corroborated through the integrated interpretation of the findings emerging from the study of the individual constructs

  In particular, measures of social vulnerability are developed which are used to discern different levels of social vulnerability on the island. The influence of social vulnerability on perceptions of the local population pertaining to conservation of local seismic construction practices is subsequently demonstrated. The physical vulnerability of the buildings is assessed through damage data of the August 14, 2003 earthquake, and vulnerability curves are developed for the building typologies found in Lefkada. A hypothetical loss scenario is examined that demonstrates, through comparative means, the importance of local seismic construction practices in reducing physical vulnerability, and subsequently expected losses. The high correlation between spatial patterns of social and physical vulnerability is also demonstrated with the aid of a GIS, and through superposition of the two, the need for an integrated approach to vulnerability in identifying regions of critical concern is advocated. Finally, discussion of the contribution of conserving local seismic construction practices in Lefkada, as a means to reducing vulnerability and moving towards more sustainable development, as well as suggestions of how this can be achieved, are provided.

For further information, contact Faye Karababa faye.karababagooglemail.com

See also Karababa, F. 2008. "Local Seismic Construction Practices as a Means to Vulnerability Reduction And Sustainable Development". Presentation at the 14th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Beijing, China, 12-17 October 2008, full text (289 kB in pdf).



A house on Lefkada, Greece.
(Copyright Faye Karababa 2005)

• Tseloni, A., A. Zissi, and P. Skapinakis. 2010. "Psychiatric Morbidity and Social Capital in Rural Communities of the Greek North Aegean Islands". Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 38, no. 8, pp. 1023-1041.

• Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann
  Irish Islands Federation
  "The representative body of the inhabited off shore islands [of Ireland]. Currently there are 33 island members with permanent populations ranging from just one to nine hundred on the largest island."

Inis Meáin, County Galway, Ireland.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 1997)

Some photos of Malta.

• Camilleri, D.H. 1999. "Vulnerability of Buildings in Malta to Earthquake, Volcano and Tsunami Hazard". The Structural Engineer, vol. 77, no. 22, pp. 25-31.

• Camilleri D.H. 2003. "Malta's Risk Minimisation to Earthquake, Volcanic, and Tsunami damage". Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 12, no. 1 (5 March), pp. 37-47.

• Camilleri, D.H. 2006. "Tsunami Construction Risks in the Mediterranean--Outlining Malta's Scenario". Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 146-162.

• ISSI
  Islands and Small States Institute at the Foundation for International Studies, University of Malta.
  "Promotes research and training on economic, social, cultural, ecological and geographical aspects of islands and small states."

• The Azores .
• Madeira .

See also:

Centro de Estudos de História do Atlântico

• Azorean Biodiversity Portal
  

• Collares-Pereira, M., M.L. Mathias, M. Santos-Reis, M.G. Ramalhinho, and P. Duarte-Rodrigues. 2000. "Rodents and Leptospira Transmission Risk in Terceira Island (Azores)". European Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 16, no. 12, pp. 1151-1157.

• Cruz, J.V. 2003. "Groundwater and Volcanoes: Examples from the Azores Archipelago". Environmental Geology, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 343-355.

• CVPT
  Centro de Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos Geológicos, Universidade dos Açores.

• Fernandes, R.M.S., J.M. Miranda, J. Catalao, J.F. Luis, L. Bastos, and B.A.C. Ambrosius. 2002. "Coseismic displacements of the M_W = 6.1, July 9, 1998, Faial earthquake (Azores, North Atlantic)". Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 29, no. 16, pp. 21-1 to 21-4.

• Global Volcanism Programme's entry for the Azores.

• Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 1999. Special Issue on Furnas Volcano and Caldera, São Miguel, Azores, vol. 92, issues 1-2 (September).

• Lima, M., T. Kay, J. Vasconcelos, L. Mota-Vieira, C. Gonzalez, A. Peixoto, A. Abade, P. MacLeod, R. Graca, and J. Santos J. 2001. "Disease Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Predictive Testing and Prenatal Diagnosis in Families with Machado-Joseph Disease from the Azores Islands (Portugal)". Community Genetics, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 36-42.

• Miranda, J.M., L.A. Mendes Victor, J.Z. Simões, J.F. Luis, L. Matias, H. Shimamura, H. Shiobara, H. Nemoto, H. Mochizuki, A. Hirn, and J.C. Lépine. 1998. "Tectonic Setting of the Azores Plateau Deduced from a OBS Survey". Marine Geophysical Researches, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 171-182.

• Monteiro, L.R., J.A. Ramos, and R.W. Furness. 1996. "Past and present status and conservation of the seabirds breeding in the Azores archipelago". Biological Conservation, vol. 78, no. 3 (December), pp. 319-328.

• Montesinos, F.G., A.G. Camacho, J.C. Nunes, C.S. Oliveira, and Vieira R. 2003. "A 3-D Gravity Model for a Volcanic Crater in Terceira Island (Azores)". Geophysical Journal International, vol. 154, no. 2 (August), pp. 393-406.

Commentary by Ilan Kelman on 17 August 2003:

The photo below shows the caldera of Sete Cidades volcano with the ocean visible at the top left, behind the mountains. Just below the ocean in the photograph, also on the left side, sits the town of Sete Cidades--population 858 according to the 2001 census. The town sits entirely inside the caldera, more than 300 metres below the caldera's rim.

While on São Miguel in 2003, I was told the possibly apocryphal tale that, even up to the 1990's, some residents of the town of Sete Cidades had never left the caldera. Despite living on a small island in the middle of the ocean, these people would have experienced the two main bodies of water in the caldera--Lagoa Azul in the background and Lagoa Verde in the foreground--as representing the largest amount of water possible in one place.

They would be living in their own island on an island--an isolated caldera on an isolated island. I would be curious regarding any other information or opinions on this tale and, if it were true, the effects on the culture of the paradox of being surrounded by water yet perhaps not fully understanding that situation. Or did the people fully understand the ocean without having seen it? In the meantime, I offer a poem written after hearing the story.

Sete Cidades Caldera and Town.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2003.)

The Canary Islands are a Spanish island group forming an autonomous area (comunidad autonoma).

Other Spanish islands include the Balearic Islands and, off the Moroccan coast, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucaimas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera. On 11 July 2002, Moroccan soldiers occupied the tiny, uninhabited island of Perejil or Leila which is claimed by both Spain and Morocco. On 17 July 2002, Spanish troops took over the island with no casualties. Details are provided by BBC News, including a map of the areas claimed by both Spain and Morocco. Spain also owns coastal areas along the north coast of Morocco: Ceuta and Melilla.

Contact Island Vulnerability.

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