Mariana Islands
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Pacific Ocean |
Coordinates | 16°42′N 145°47′E / 16.70°N 145.78°E |
Administration | |
United States
|
The Mariana Islands (/ˌmæriˈɑːnə/ MARR-ee-AH-nə; Chamorro: Manislan Mariånas), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fourteen[1] longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east. They lie south-southeast of Japan, west-southwest of Hawaii, north of New Guinea and east of the Philippines, demarcating the Philippine Sea's eastern limit. They are found in the northern part of the western Oceanic sub-region of Micronesia, and are politically divided into two jurisdictions of the United States: the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and, at the southern end of the chain, the territory of Guam. The islands were named after the influential Spanish queen Mariana of Austria following their colonization in the 17th century.
The indigenous inhabitants are the Chamorro people. Archaeologists in 2013 reported findings which indicated that the people who first settled the Marianas arrived there after making what may have been at the time the longest uninterrupted ocean voyage in human history. They further reported findings which suggested that Tinian is likely to have been the first island in Oceania to have been settled by humans.[2]
Spanish expeditions, beginning with one by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the early 16th century, were the first Europeans to arrive; eventually, Spain annexed and colonized the archipelago, establishing their capital on the largest island, Guam. The Marianas were the first islands Magellan encountered after traversing the Pacific from the southern tip of South America. The fruits found there saved the survivors from scurvy, which had already killed dozens of crewmembers.
Geography
The Mariana Islands are the southern part of a submerged mountain range that extends 1,565 miles (2,519 km) from Guam to near Japan. Geographically, the Marianas are part of a larger region called Micronesia, situated between 13° and 21°N latitude and 144° and 146°E longitude.
The Mariana Islands have a total land area of 1,008 km2 (389 sq mi).[3] They are composed of two administrative units:
- US territory
- the Northern Mariana Islands (including the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota), which make up a Commonwealth of the United States.
The island chain geographically consists of two subgroups, a northern group of ten volcanic main islands, all are currently uninhabited; and a southern group of five coralline limestone islands (Rota, Guam,
), all inhabited except Aguijan. In the northern volcanic group a maximum elevation of about 2,700 feet (820 m) is reached; there are craters showing signs of activity, and earthquakes are not uncommon. Coral reefs fringe the coasts of the southern isles, which are of slight elevation.The lowest point on the Earth's crust, the Mariana Trench, is near the islands and is named after them.
Geology
The islands are part of a
Ecology
Marianas tropical dry forests | |
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Ecology | |
Realm | Oceanian |
Biome | Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests |
Bird species | 59[5] |
Mammal species | 2[5] |
Geography | |
Area | 1,036 km2 (400 sq mi) |
Country | United States |
Territories | Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Critical/Endangered[6] |
Habitat loss | 76.8%[5] |
Protected | 1.11%[5] |
All the islands, except
The fauna of the Marianas, though inferior in number and variety, is similar in character to that of the
The majority of islands in the Marianas still retain their indigenous names ending in the letters -an; e.g.
.History
Prehistory
The islands are part of a geologic structure known as the Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc system and range in age from 5 million years old in the north to 30 million years old in the south (Guam). The islands are formed as the highly dense and very old western edge of the Pacific Plate plunges downward to form the floor of the Mariana Trench and carries trapped water under the Mariana plate as it does so. This water is super-heated as the plate is carried farther downward and results in the volcanic activity which has formed the arc of Mariana Islands above this subduction region.
The Mariana Islands were the first islands settled by humans in
Archeological studies of human activity on the islands have revealed pottery with red-slipped, circle-stamped and punctate-stamped designs found in the Mariana Islands dating from between 1500 and 1400 BC. These artifacts show similar aesthetics to pottery found in Northern and Central Philippines, particularly Nagsabaran (Cagayan Valley) pottery, which flourished during the period between 2000 and 1300 BC.[7]
Comparative and historical linguistics also indicate that the Chamorro language is most closely related to the Philippine subfamily of the Austronesian languages, instead of the Oceanic subfamily of the languages found in the rest of Remote Oceania.[7][9]
Nevertheless, DNA analyses also show close genetic relationships between ancient settlers of the Marianas and early Lapita settlers in the Bismarck Archipelago. This may indicate that both the Lapita culture and the Marianas were settled from direct migrations from the Philippines, or that early settlers from the Marianas voyaged further southwards into the Bismarcks and reconnected with the Lapita people.[10]
The Marianas also later established contact with and received migrations from the Caroline Islands at around the first millennium CE. This brought new pottery styles, languages, genes, and the hybrid Polynesian breadfruit.[12]
The period 900 to 1700 CE of the Marianas, immediately before and during the Spanish colonization, is known as the
The reasons for these changes is still unclear, but it is believed that it may have resulted from a third wave of migrants from
Spanish exploration and control
The first Europeans to see the island group were a Spanish expedition, who on March 6, 1521, observed a string of islands and sailed between two of them during a
Regardless of where they landed, the Spanish ships arrived in Guam and were unable to get fresh food as the inhabitants, Chamorros, "entered the ships and stole whatever they could lay their hands on", including "the small boat that was fastened to the poop of the flagship," according to Spanish crewman Antonio Pigafetta.[14]: 129 The Spanish crew, in retaliation, attacked the Chamorros and dubbed the islands Islas de los Ladrones (Islands of the Thieves). Wrote Pigafetta, "Those people are poor, but ingenious and very thievish, on account of which we called those three islands the islands of Ladrones."[14]: 131 Pigafetta writes,
And the captain-general wished to approach the largest of these three islands to replenish his provisions. But it was not possible, for the people of those islands entered the ships and robbed us so that we could not protect ourselves from them. And when we wished to strike and take in the sails so as to land, they stole very quickly the small boat called a skiff which was fastened to the poop of the captain's ship. At which he, being very angry, went ashore with forty armed men. And burning some forty or fifty houses with several boats and killing seven men of the said island, they recovered their skiff.
Pigafetta also described the boats the inhabitants used, including the sail shaped like a "lateen sail" (actually the
In 1667,
When Spanish settlement started on 14 June 1668, they were subordinate to the Mexican colony (soon viceroyalty) of New Spain, until 1817, when they became subordinated to the Philippines, as part of the Spanish East Indies.
Research in the archipelago was carried out by Commodore Anson, who in August 1742 landed upon the island of Tinian.[19] The Ladrones were visited by Byron in 1765, Wallis in 1767 and Crozet in 1772.
The Marianas and specifically the island of Guam were a stopover for Spanish galleons en route from
The islands were a popular port of call for British and American whaling ships in the 19th century. The first such visit on record was that of the Resource to Guam in October 1799.[21] The last known visit was made by the American whaler Charles W. Morgan in February 1904.[22]
Loss from Spain and split in governance
The Marianas remained a Spanish
Weakened from its defeat in the Spanish–American War,
Japan, allied with the Entente Powers during World War I, seized all of Germany's colonial possessions in East Asia and Micronesia, including the Northern Mariana Islands, and held them through the end of the war. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Germany was stripped of all her colonies worldwide, including the Palau, Caroline, Northern Mariana and Marshall Islands. By international agreement, these were all placed into trusteeship under the management of League of Nations which assigned them to Japan as the Class C South Seas Mandate. During this time, Japan used some of the islands for sugarcane production, modestly increasing the population of a few of the islands.
World War II
The island chain saw significant fighting during World War II.
According to Werner Gruhl: "Mariana Island historians estimate that 10 percent of Guam's some 20,000 population were killed by violence, most by the
Post-World War II
The direct result of World War II on the Mariana Islands was that, after the war, the
List of islands
Island name | Population | Municipality or territory |
---|---|---|
Guam | 159,358 | Guam |
Saipan | 48,220 | Saipan |
Tinian | 3,136 | Tinian |
Rota | 2,477 | Rota |
Aguigan
|
0 | Tinian |
Farallon de Pajaros | 0 | Northern Islands |
Maug Islands | 0 | Northern Islands |
Asuncion | 0 | Northern Islands |
Agrihan | 0 | Northern Islands |
Pagan | 0 | Northern Islands |
Alamagan | 0 | Northern Islands |
Guguan | 0 | Northern Islands |
Papaungan | 0 | Northern Islands |
Sarigan | 0 | Northern Islands |
Anatahan | 0 | Northern Islands |
Farallon de Medinilla | 0 | Northern Islands |
Tourism
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2013) |
Tourism in the Northern Marianas is split mainly between Filipino, Japanese, American, Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese tourists. There are several large tour operators in Saipan that cater to Asian tourists coming into the island. By far, the majority of tourism in the Northern Marianas is in Guam. Several flights a day land in Guam, mostly in the early hours between 1:00 AM and 3:30 AM. With the close of the garment industries in the Northern Marianas, tourism has grown slowly and is now a major part of the economy of the CNMI.[citation needed]
Amateur radio operators conduct
Cuisine
Common dishes in the Mariana Islands include red rice, meat or poultry on the grill or in coconut milk, chicken kelaguen, apigigi (young coconut with cassava paste wrapped in banana leaf),[26] and tropical fruits.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam – Pacific Islands Benthic Habitat Mapping Center". Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Zotomayor, Alexie Villegas (11 Mar 2013). "Archaeologist says migration to Marianas longest ocean-crossing in human history". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ The CIA World Factbook (2006).
- ^ "Pacific Ocean – Geology of Mariana Islands". 23 December 2010. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b c d "The Atlas of Global Conservation". maps.tnc.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ^ "Western Micronesia: north of Papua New Guinea | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ^ .
- ^ Zotomayor, Alexie Villegas (12 March 2013). "Archaeologists say migration to Marianas longest ocean-crossing in human history". Marianas Variety News and Views: 2. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ Carson, Mike T. (2012). "History of Archaeological Study in the Mariana Islands" (PDF). Micronesica. 42 (1/2): 312–371. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ^ S2CID 224817625.
- PMID 23180676.
- ^ Peterson, John A. (2012). "Latte villages in Guam and the Marianas: Monumentality or monumenterity?" (PDF). Micronesica. 42 (1/2): 183–208. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ^ a b Laguana, Andrew; Kurashina, Hiro; Carson, Mike T.; Peterson, John A.; Bayman, James M.; Ames, Todd; Stephenson, Rebecca A.; Aguon, John; Harya Putra, Ir. D.K. (2012). "Estorian i latte: A story of latte" (PDF). Micronesica. 42 (1/2): 80–120. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ^ OCLC 347382.
- ^ "About the CNMI". Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Office of the Governor. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
In 1668, 147 years after Magellan's encounter, Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores, a Jesuit priest, arrived in The Marianas with the mission to convert and implement Christianity among the Chamorros, thus beginning the colonization of The Marianas by Spain. The islands were named after Queen Maria Ana of Spain.
- ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ Warheit, Vanessa "The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands." Archived 2017-09-04 at the Wayback Machine PBS (documentary). Accessed June 2012.
- ISBN 9781317354536. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ George, Lord Anion (1748). Voyage round the World, book iii.
- OCLC 3913054.
- ISBN 0-86784-471-X.
- ^ Langdon, p.163
- OCLC 120546.
- ^ "Air Raids & Attempted Air Raids against Saipan from 1 Nov 1944 to Occupation of Iwo Jima"
- ISBN 978-0-7658-0352-8
- ^ "Apigigi' or Sweet Tamales" Archived 2014-12-03 at the Wayback Machine (Aug. 10, 2013) Annie's Chamorro Kitchen
Sources
- Pascal Horst Lehne and Christoph Gäbler: Über die Marianen. Lehne-Verlag, Wohldorf in Germany 1972
- L. de Freycinet, Voyage autour du monde (Paris, 1826–1844)
- The Marianas Islands in Nautical Magazsile, xxxiv., xxxv. (London, 1865–1866)
- 0. Finsch, Karolinen und Marianen (Hamburg, 1900); Costenoble, Die Marianen in Globus, lxxxviii. (1905)
- Encyclopedic sources
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Marianas, an archipelago in the north-western Pacific Ocean". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Thomas Kennedy (1913). "Prefecture Apostolic of Mariana Islands". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
External links
- Brickwood, Edwin (1882). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. XIV (9th ed.). pp. 278–280.