Mariana Islands

The Mariana Islands (sometimes called The Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called the Islas de los Ladrones or Islands of Thieves) are a group of islands made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the Pacific Ocean.

Related Topics:
Island - Pacific Ocean

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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. The Marianas have a total land area of 396 square miles (1026 km²). Guam is a US territory, and the rest of the islands (including the main inhabited islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota) comprise the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Related Topics:
Guam - Japan - Micronesia - US territory - Saipan - Tinian - Rota - Commonwealth - Northern Mariana Islands

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The first European to discover the island group was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. In 1667 Spain formally claimed them, and named them after Spanish Queen Mariana of Austria.

Related Topics:
Europe - Ferdinand Magellan - 1521 - 1667 - Spain - Queen - Mariana of Austria

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Following the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Guam to the United States, and sold the northern remainder to Germany. After World War I the former German islands were entrusted by the League of Nations to the control of Japan.

Related Topics:
Spanish-American War - Germany - World War I - League of Nations - Japan

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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.

Related Topics:
1944 - World War II

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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. In fact, both the Enola Gay and the Bockscar (which bombed Nagasaki) took off from Tinian?s ?North Field.?

Related Topics:
Saipan - Tinian - Japan - Enola Gay - Bockscar - Nagasaki

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