Mariana Islands

The Mariana Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific that are geographically assigned to the island region of Micronesia. You are geopolitically divided into the two U.S. foreign territories of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands.

Geography

The island arc of the Mariana Islands stretches over a distance of about 800 km from the northernmost island of Farallon de Pajaros to the southernmost island Cocos Iceland in Guam. Most of the islands are volcanic in origin, but there are also islands of coralline origin. The Mariana Trench east of the islands has a maximum depth of 11,034 m, the deepest part of the ocean. Together with the Ogasawara and Izu Islands in the north they form the system of the Izu - Bonin - Mariana island arc.

The most important islands in the Marianas are:

• Agrihan
• Aguijan
• Anatahan
• Ascuncion
• Farallon de Medinilla
• Farallon de Pajaros
• Guam
• Guguan
• Maug
• Pagan
• Rota
• Saipan
• Sarigan
• Tinian

History

On March 6, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan discovered the first European to the archipelago and named it Islas de Ladrones, " Ladrones " or " thieves islands".

The Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines rested on the route to and from the East, specifically the galleon route from Acapulco, New Spain (Mexico) to Manila. On this route about 2000 kilometers north of the Philippine archipelago islands are the closest land mass to the east and soon became a natural and usual stopover on the long journey across the Pacific to raise fresh water and food.

Magellan had but little to say good things about the islands, the people he experienced as a thieving, even a dinghy was stolen from him, which he won back again in a bloody punitive expedition; in short, he had nothing but trouble there and could not even pick up fresh supplies. Disgusted, he left the islands after a short stay. His chronicler Antonio Pigafetta wrote: " Since the inhabitants of these islands were very clever thieves, we gave this island the name " Ladrones " thieves Islands " (quoted from according to contemporary sources, edited by Dr. Hans. " Fernão de Magalhães The first circumnavigation of the world. " Plischke, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1936).

From the above geographical reasons, it was for Madrid but in the long term at hand, the group of islands incorporate Spanish rule in order to handle the sea route from Manila to Mexico organizationally better. In 1667, almost 150 years after the "discovery" of the Philippines by Magellan, the Spanish crown were therefore " Islas de los Ladrones " officially assumed and expanded on the island of Guam the necessary infrastructure for the supply of the galleons.

Only the name " thieves Islands " was no longer really suitable for a Spanish territory, and for a more detailed description of the reorganized subjects of the Crown; A new name was needed. In Spain, meanwhile reigned King Philip IV, according to him could not name the islands, the Philippines had already. His wife was Maria Anna of Austria (1634-1696), archduchess of Austria, daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III. , Spanish it is called " Mariana de Austria ". In her honor, the archipelago has now been renamed by the Spanish in " Islas Marianas ", the name has survived to this day.

After the Spanish - American War, Spain Guam came to the U.S. and sold later with the German-Spanish Treaty on February 12, 1899 the rest of the Mariana Islands, together with other islands in the South Pacific, to the German Reich, from then on they were considered part the colony of German New Guinea managed.

After the First World War, the Marianas were asked by the League of Nations to Japanese control. During the Second World War, the U.S. conquered the islands in the Battle of the Marianas Islands. After the war the area was provided by the UN under U.S. control, the 1978 is an Associate with the U.S. State confers on them ( Northern Mariana Islands) except Guam, which is available as " dependent territory " under the direct control of the U.S. and only a certain internal autonomy has, as it serves as an important military stronghold of the United States.

Volcanism

The islands in the northern part of the Mariana Islands, Farallon de Pajaros to Anatahan, are all partly active composite volcanoes. The Zealandia Bank is an active, ascending volcano whose summit there are approximately at sea level. The Ahyi is a submarine volcano in the northern area of ​​the island group, about 18 km south-east of the island of Farallon de Pajaros.

Population

The four major islands in the south - Guam, Rota, Saipan and Tinian are inhabited, the islands in the north of the island arc are, mostly because of active volcanism, however, uninhabited ( remaining up to seven residents of the island Alamagan ).

Culture

Since the most widely used language of the Mariana Islands, which does not belong to the Micronesian languages ​​Chamorro, the culture of the Mariana Islands in older literature is sometimes performed under the general term " Melanesian culture ".