TNAG-0831-FCO40-1039-Commonwealth-Parliamentary-Association-(CPA)-annual-conferen-1979 — Page 67

THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

BRIEF NO. 12

COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION

25TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: NEW ZEALAND 1979

1.

There now remain 14 British Dependent Territories with a total popu-

lation of approximately five million. The majority are isolated islands or

island groups and are small in terms of their area and economy. A list of

the Dependent Territories is attached at Annex A, together with a short

background on each territory.

2. By far the most significant in population and economy is Hong Kong,

while the giant in area is British Antarctic Territory (666,000 square

miles) which has no permanent population: the wide contrast in physical,

human and economic conditions is a peculiar feature of Dependent Territory

affairs. They each present their own set of problems and, as a result,

Britain's responsibilities to her dependencies do not fall into any general

pattern.

3. Many of the territories pose difficult problems because of their small

size, geographical isolation, inadequate communications, paucity of natural

resources, weak economies and, in some cases, sovereignty disputes with

neighbouring states.

4. The situation in Hong Kong is unique. Special problems confront

Belize, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar, all of which are subject to terri-

torial claims. The remote islands communities of Pitcairn in the Pacific

and Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic are no bigger than many small villages

in Britain.

5. Despite these difficulties there continues to be steady constitutional,

political and economic progress in the Dependent Territories. The majority

have now adopted a ministerial system of government, in response to local

political aspirations and have as a result, assumed a large degree of

responsibility over their own internal affairs.

16.

In

4