(USA Formal Dependencies) Located in N Pacific Ocean, area 471 km²/182 sq mi; limestone southern islands, volcanic northern islands; capital Saipan; population total (2000e) 72 000; tropical marine climate; part of UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, 194778; became a self-governing US Commonwealth Territory, 197890; trusteeship ended, 1990.
The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrone Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning "Islands of Thieves") are an archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean, in about 12 to 21 N.
Description
They are the southern part of a submerged mountain range that extends 1,565 miles (2,519 km) from Guam to near Japan. The Marianas are the northernmost islands of a larger island group called Micronesia, situated between 13° and 21° N.
The Marianas have a total land area of 389 square miles (1007 km²) The total population in the early 20th century was 2500, mostly descendants of Tagalog immigrants from the Philippines. They are composed of two administrative units:
Guam is a US territory The Northern Mariana Islands (including the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota) comprise a Commonwealth of the United States .It consists of two groups, a northern group of ten volcanic main islands, of which only four (Agrihan, Anatahan, Alamagan and Pagan) are inhabited; and a southern group of five coralline limestone islands (Rota, Guam, Aguijan, Tinian and Saipan), all inhabited save Aguijan.
All the islands except Farallon de Medinilla and Uracas or Farallon de Pajaros (in the northern group) are more or less densely wooded, and the vegetation is luxuriant, much resembling that of the Carolines, and also of the Philippines, whence many species of plants have been introduced. On most of the islands there is a plentiful supply of water.
The fauna of the Marianas, though inferior in number and variety, is similar in character to that of the Carolines, and certain species are indigenous to both colonies.
History
The first European to discover the island group was Ferdinand Magellan who on 6 March 1521 observed the two southernmost islands, sailed between them. Magellan's crew called the islands Islas de los Ladrones. The islands are still occasionally called the Ladrones. Magellan himself styled them Islas de las Velas Latinas (Islands of the Lateen Sails ).
In 1667 Spain formally claimed them, established a regular colony there, and gave the islands the official title of Las Marianas in honour of Spanish Queen Mariana of Austria, widow of Philip IV of Spain.
The native population known to the early Spanish colonists as Chamorros has died out as a distinct people, though their descendants intermarried with the immigrant Tagalogs and natives of the Carolines. In the island of Tinian are some remarkable remains attributed to them, consisting of two rows of massive square stone columns, about 5 feet 4 inch broad and 14 feet high, with heavy-round capitals.
Research in the archipelago was carried out by Commodore Anson, who in August 1742 landed upon the island of Tinian.
The Marianas remained a Spanish colony under the general government of the Philippines until 1898, when, as a result of the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Guam to the United States.
By Treaty of 12 February 1899, the remaining islands of the archipelago (except Guam, but with the Carolines and Pelew Islands was sold by Spain to Germany for 837,500 Deutschemarks (about $4,100,000 at the time) to Germany and were incorporated to the German Protectorate of New Guinea; their total population around 1900 was only 2,646 inhabitants, the ten most northerly islands being actively volcanic and uninhabited.
The Ally Japan began to occupy the islands in 1914. After Germany and the rest of the Central Powers lost World War I, the former German islands were entrusted by the League of Nations to Japanese control as a mandate territory (not unlike a UN Trust territory).
The island chain saw fighting between the US and Japanese forces in 1944 during World War II. The United States wanted to capture the islands for use as a bombing base to raid the Japanese mainland.
Once captured, the islands of Saipan and Tinian were used extensively by the United States military as they finally put mainland Japan within round-trip range of American bombers.
Ecclesiastical history
The Prefecture Apostolic of the Marianas was erected on 17 September 1902, by the Constitution "Quae mari sinico" of pope Leo XIII. The islands had previously formed part of the Philippine Diocese of Cebu. residence in Saipan, Carolina Islands), belonged.
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