Isolated in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Papua New Guinea lie what are reputed to be the most remote inhabited islands in the world (see Figure 1). They are known as the Carteret Islands and they have been home to 2,600 people.
These tiny atolls, rings of coral around the summit of the peak of extinct underwater volcanoes, lie only 1.5 metres above sea level. Every few months the high tide comes inland, through the coconut palms and into gardens, fields and villages. The strongest tidal surges have washed away houses. Sea salt has poisoned the land so that people can no longer grow fruit and vegetables. The inhabitants live on the fish they catch in the sea, coconuts and the supplies a ship brings four times a year.
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