View source for Mariana Islands

{{Short description|Archipelago in the north-western Pacific Ocean}}
{{For|unincorporated and organized U.S. territory|Northern Mariana Islands}}

{{Infobox Islands
| name          = Mariana Islands
| image         = Map Mariana Islands volcanoes.gif
| image_caption = The Mariana Islands are shown, with the territory of [[Guam]] to the extreme south, and the Commonwealth of the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] (14 islands) to the north. Active volcanoes are shown with triangles.
| location      = Pacific Ocean
| coordinates   = {{Coord|16.70|N|145.78|E|type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| country       = United States<br />{{nobold|[[Guam]] (U.S.)<br />[[Northern Mariana Islands]] (U.S.)}}
}}

The '''Mariana Islands''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ær|i|ˈ|ɑː|n|ə}} {{respell|MARR|ee|AH|nə}}; {{langx|ch|Manislan Mariånas}}), also simply '''the Marianas''', are a crescent-shaped [[archipelago]] comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly [[Volcano#Dormant and reactivated|dormant volcanic]] mountains in the north-western [[Pacific Ocean]], between the [[12th parallel north|12th]] and [[21st parallel north|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 [[Oceania|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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zotomayor |first=Alexie Villegas |title=Archaeologist says migration to Marianas longest ocean-crossing in human history |url=http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/54274-archaeologist-says-migration-to-marianas-longest-ocean-crossing-in-human-history |publisher=Marianas Variety |date=11 Mar 2013 |ref=voyage |access-date=5 October 2015 |archive-date=16 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316215811/http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/54274-archaeologist-says-migration-to-marianas-longest-ocean-crossing-in-human-history |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<!-- unsure whether to split word (crew members) -->

== Geography ==
[[File:Philippine Sea location.jpg|upright=1.8|right|thumb|Geology of the west Pacific in the area of the Mariana Islands. The Mariana Islands are at map-right, east of the Philippine Sea and just west of the [[Mariana Trench]] in the ocean floor.]]The Mariana Islands are the southern part of a submerged [[mountain range]] that extends {{convert|1565|mi|0|abbr=out}} from Guam to near Japan. Geographically, the Marianas are part of a larger region called [[Micronesia]], situated between [[13th parallel north|13°]] and [[21st parallel north|21°N]] latitude and [[144th meridian east|144°]] and [[146th meridian east|146°E]] longitude.

The Mariana Islands have a total land area of {{cvt|1008|km2|0}}.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070607060922/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html ''The CIA World Factbook'' (2006)].</ref>
They are composed of two administrative units:
* [[Guam]], a [[United States territory]]
* the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] (including the islands of [[Saipan]], [[Tinian]] and [[Rota (island)|Rota]]), which make up a [[Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|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, [[Aguijan]], [[Tinian]] and [[Saipan]]), all of which are inhabited except for Aguijan. In the northern volcanic group a maximum elevation of about {{convert|2700|ft|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.

The majority of islands in the Marianas still retain their indigenous names ending in the letters -an; for example, [[Guam|Guahan]] (the indigenous name of Guam), [[Agrigan]], [[Agrihan]], [[Aguihan]]/Aguigan, [[Pagan (island)|Pagan]], Sarigan, [[Saipan]], and [[Tinian]].

== Geology ==
The islands are part of a [[Structural geology|geologic structure]] known as the [[Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc]] system. The island chain arose as a result of the western edge of the [[Pacific Plate]] moving westward and plunging downward below the [[Mariana plate]], a region which is the most volcanically active convergent plate boundary on Earth. This [[subduction]] region, just east of the island chain, forms the noted [[Mariana Trench]], the deepest part of the Earth's oceans and lowest part of the surface of the Earth's crust. In this region, according to geologic theory, water trapped in the extensive faulting of the Pacific Plate as [[serpentinite]], is heated by the higher temperatures of depth during its subduction, the pressure from the expanding steam results in the hydrothermal activity in the area and the volcanic activity which formed the Mariana Islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/mariana/ |title=Pacific Ocean – Geology of Mariana Islands |date=23 December 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223015139/http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/mariana/ |archive-date=23 December 2010}}</ref>

== Ecology ==
{{Infobox ecoregion
| name                = Marianas tropical dry forests
| image               = Suicide Cliff in Saipan 3.JPG
| image_size          = 
| image_alt           = 
| caption             = Tropical dry forest on [[Saipan]]
| map                 = 
| map_size            = 
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = 
| biogeographic_realm = [[Oceanian realm|Oceanian]]
| biome               = [[Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests]]
| animals             = 
| bird_species        = 59<ref name=Atlas>{{Cite web |title=The Atlas of Global Conservation |url=http://maps.tnc.org/globalmaps.html |access-date=2020-11-20 |website=maps.tnc.org |archive-date=2012-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305201312/http://maps.tnc.org/globalmaps.html }}</ref>
| mammal_species      = 2<ref name=Atlas/>
| border              = 
| area                = 1036
| country             = United States
| state               = Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
| region_type         = Territories
| elevation           = 
| geology             = 
| seas                = 
| rivers              = 
| climate             = 
| soil                = 
| conservation        = Critical/Endangered<ref>{{Cite web |title=Western Micronesia: north of Papua New Guinea {{!}} Ecoregions {{!}} WWF |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/oc0203 |access-date=2020-11-20 |website=World Wildlife Fund |archive-date=2020-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927065229/https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/oc0203 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| global200           = 
| habitat_loss        = 76.8
| habitat_loss_ref    = <ref name=Atlas/>
| protected           = 1.11
| protected_ref       = <ref name=Atlas/>
}}{{See also|Marianas tropical dry forests|List of endemic plants in the Mariana Islands|List of mammals of the Northern Mariana Islands}}
All the islands, except [[Farallon de Medinilla]] and [[Uracas]] or [[Farallon de Pajaros]] (in the northern group), are more or less densely [[Marianas tropical dry forests|forested]], and the vegetation is dense, much resembling that of the [[Caroline Islands|Carolines]] and also of the Philippines, from where species of plants have been introduced. Owing to the moistness of the soil [[cryptogams]] are numerous, as are also most kinds of grasses. 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 [[Caroline Islands|Carolines]] and certain species are indigenous to both island groups. The climate though damp is healthy, while the heat, being tempered by the [[trade wind]]s, is milder than that of the Philippines; the variations of temperature are not great{{Clarify|date=August 2025}}.

== History ==

=== Early ===
{{See also|Micronesia navigation}}
The islands are part of a [[geology|geologic]] structure known as the [[Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc]] system. 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.

[[File:Chronological dispersal of Austronesian people across the Pacific.svg|upright=1.5|left|thumb|Map showing the [[Neolithic]] [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian migrations]] into the islands of the [[Indo-Pacific]]]]
The Mariana Islands were the first islands settled by humans in [[Remote Oceania]]. Incidentally it is also the first and the longest of the ocean-crossing voyages of the [[Austronesian peoples]] into Remote Oceania, and is separate from the later [[Polynesian people|Polynesian]] settlement of the rest of Remote Oceania. They were first settled around 1500 to 1400 BCE by migrants departing from the [[Philippines]].<ref name="Hung"/><ref name="Zotomayor">{{cite journal |last1=Zotomayor |first1=Alexie Villegas |title=Archaeologists say migration to Marianas longest ocean-crossing in human history |journal=Marianas Variety News and Views |date=12 March 2013 |page=2 |url=https://issuu.com/aleksea/docs/mv_3-12-13/2 |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=21 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021085833/https://issuu.com/aleksea/docs/mv_3-12-13/2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref name="Hung">{{cite journal |last1=Hung |first1=Hsiao-chun |last2=Carson |first2=Mike T. |last3=Bellwood |first3=Peter |last4=Campos |first4=Fredeliza Z. |last5=Piper |first5=Philip J. |last6=Dizon |first6=Eusebio |last7=Bolunia |first7=Mary Jane Louise A. |last8=Oxenham |first8=Marc |last9=Chi |first9=Zhang |title=The first settlement of Remote Oceania: the Philippines to the Marianas |journal=Antiquity |date=2015 |volume=85 |issue=329 |pages=909–926 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00068393 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Comparative and historical linguistics also indicate that the [[Chamorro language]] is most closely related to the [[Philippine languages|Philippine]] subfamily of the [[Austronesian languages]], instead of the [[Oceanic languages|Oceanic]] subfamily of the languages found in the rest of Remote Oceania.<ref name="Hung"/><ref name="carson2012">{{cite journal |last1=Carson |first1=Mike T. |title=History of Archaeological Study in the Mariana Islands |journal=Micronesica |date=2012 |volume=42 |issue=1/2 |pages=312–371 |url=https://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/10_carson_pp312-371.pdf |access-date=2020-10-26 |archive-date=2021-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424122910/http://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/10_carson_pp312-371.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Guma Taga ruins, pre-1902.jpg|right|thumb|Ruins of [[Guma Taga]] on Tinian. The pillars/columns are called latte (pronounced læ'di) stones, a common architectural element of prehistoric structures in the Mariana Islands, upon which elevated buildings were built. Earthquakes had toppled the other latte at this site by the time this photo was taken; an earthquake in 1902 toppled the one seen on the left, and today only the one on the right remains standing.]]
[[Human mitochondrial genetics|Mitochondrial DNA]] and [[whole genome sequencing]] of the [[Chamorro people]] strongly support an ancestry from the Philippines. Genetic analysis of pre-[[Latte stone|''Latte'' period]] skeletons in Guam also show that they do not have [[Australo-Melanesians|Australo-Melanesian]] ("Papuan") ancestry, which rules out origins from the [[Bismarck Archipelago]], [[New Guinea]], and eastern [[Indonesia]]. The [[Lapita culture]] itself (the ancestral branch of the Polynesian migrations) is younger than the first settlement of the Marianas (the earliest Lapita artifacts are dated to around 1350 to 1300 BCE), indicating that they originated from separate migration voyages.<ref name="Pugach">{{cite journal |last1=Pugach |first1=Irina |last2=Hübner |first2=Alexander |last3=Hung |first3=Hsiao-chun |last4=Meyer |first4=Matthias |last5=Carson |first5=Mike T. |last6=Stoneking |first6=Mark |title=Ancient DNA from Guam and the peopling of the Pacific |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=118 |issue=1 |date=2020-12-21 |issn=0027-8424 |pmid=33443177 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2022112118 |pmc=7817125 |article-number=e2022112118 |biorxiv=10.1101/2020.10.14.339135 |s2cid=224817625 |hdl=21.11116/0000-0007-9BA4-1 |hdl-access=free |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Vilar">{{cite journal |last1=Vilar |first1=Miguel G. |last2=Chan |first2=Chim W |last3=Santos |first3=Dana R |last4=Lynch |first4=Daniel |last5=Spathis |first5=Rita |last6=Garruto |first6=Ralph M |last7=Lum |first7=J Koji |title=The origins and genetic distinctiveness of the chamorros of the Marianas Islands: An mtDNA perspective |journal=American Journal of Human Biology |date=January 2013 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=116–122 |doi=10.1002/ajhb.22349 |pmid=23180676 |pmc=4335639}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Pugach"/>

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]].<ref name="Peterson">{{cite journal |last1=Peterson |first1=John A. |title=Latte villages in Guam and the Marianas: Monumentality or monumenterity? |journal=Micronesica |date=2012 |volume=42 |issue=1/2 |pages=183–208 |url=https://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/5_smpeterson_pp183-208.pdf |access-date=2020-10-26 |archive-date=2019-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412090705/https://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/5_smpeterson_pp183-208.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The period 900 to 1700 CE of the Marianas, immediately before and during the Spanish colonization, is known as the [[Latte stone|''Latte'' period]]. It is characterized by rapid cultural change, most notably by the massive [[megalithic]] ''latte'' stones (also spelled ''latde'' or ''latti''). These were composed of the ''haligi'' pillars capped with another stone called ''tasa'' (which prevented rodents from climbing the posts). These served as supports for the rest of the structure which was made of wood. Remains of structures made with similar wooden posts have also been found. Human graves have also been found in front of ''latte'' structures, The ''Latte'' period was also characterized by the introduction of [[rice]] agriculture, which is unique in the pre-contact [[Pacific Islands]].<ref name="Laguana"/>

The reasons for these changes is still unclear, but it is believed that it may have resulted from a third wave of migrants from [[Island Southeast Asia]]. Comparisons with other architectural traditions makes it likely that this third migration wave were again from the Philippines, or from eastern [[Indonesia]] (either [[Sulawesi]] or [[Sumba]]), all of which have a tradition of raised buildings with capstones. The word ''haligi'' ("pillar") is also used in various languages throughout the Philippines; while the Chamorro word ''guma'' ("house") closely resembles the Sumba word ''uma''.<ref name="Laguana">{{cite journal |last1=Laguana |first1=Andrew |last2=Kurashina |first2=Hiro |last3=Carson |first3=Mike T. |last4=Peterson |first4=John A. |last5=Bayman |first5=James M. |last6=Ames |first6=Todd |last7=Stephenson |first7=Rebecca A. |last8=Aguon |first8=John |last9=Harya Putra |first9=Ir. D.K. |title=Estorian i latte: A story of latte |journal=Micronesica |date=2012 |volume=42 |issue=1/2 |pages=80–120 |url=https://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/2_smlaguana_pp80-120.pdf |access-date=2020-10-26 |archive-date=2021-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424074038/http://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/2_smlaguana_pp80-120.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Spanish exploration and control ===
{{further|Spanish-Chamorro Wars}}
[[File:Reception of the Manila Galleon by the Chamorro in the Ladrones Islands, ca. 1590.jpg|thumb|350x350px|Reception of the [[Manila galleon|Manila Galleon]] by the [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] in the Ladrones Islands, {{Circa|1590}} [[Boxer Codex]]]]
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 [[Timeline of the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation|Spanish expedition of world circumnavigation]] under the command of [[Ferdinand Magellan]]. Historically, the southern village of [[Umatac, Guam]] has been credited as the site of the Spanish landing. As confirmation, a scholarly study of the navigator's diary, now kept in preservation in the [[Philippine]]s, revealed a drawing of the islands with a tiny island to the south of a much larger island above it. The described placement of the islands confirms that Magellan had actually sailed between Guam and [[Cocos Island (Guam)|Cocos Island]], and not Guam and [[Rota (island)|Rota]], as some originally thought, especially since the northern areas of Guam do not have safe coves or harbors to anchor.{{cn|date=September 2023}} Moreover, the waters of Northern Guam are often rougher and the currents are even more treacherous in comparison to the safer coves and currents seen by the southwestern side of Guam.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

Regardless of where they landed, the Spanish ships arrived in Guam and were unable to get fresh food as the inhabitants, [[Chamorro people|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.<ref name=Nowell>{{cite book |last=Nowell |first=C. E. |year=1962 |title=Magellan's Voyage Around the World |chapter=Antonio Pigafetta's account |location=Evanston |publisher=Northwestern University Press |oclc=347382 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015008001532}}</ref>{{rp|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."<ref name=Nowell/>{{rp|131}} Pigafetta writes,

<blockquote>And the [[Captain general|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.</blockquote>

Pigafetta also described the boats the inhabitants used, including the sail shaped like a "lateen sail" (actually the [[crab claw sail]]), hence the name '''Islas de las Velas Latinas''' (Islands of the [[Lateen sail|Lateen Sails]]),<ref name=Nowell/>{{rp|131}} the name used as Magellan claimed them for the Spanish crown. San Lazarus archipelago, Jardines ('gardens') and Prazeres are among the names applied to them by later navigators.

[[File:Estampilla española de las Islas Marianas 5 cent 1898-99.jpg|thumb|upright=0.45|A stamp from the Marianas' late Spanish colonial period, 1898–1899]]

In 1667, [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] formally claimed them, established a regular [[colony]] there and in 1668 gave the islands the official title of ''Las Marianas'', in honor of Spanish Queen [[Mariana of Austria]], widow of [[Philip IV of Spain|King Philip IV of Spain]] and Queen Regent of the [[Spanish Empire]] ruling during the minority of her son [[Charles II of Spain|King Charles II]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://governor.gov.mp/about-the-cnmi/ |title=About the CNMI |access-date=5 November 2020 |website=Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Office of the Governor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817114911/https://governor.gov.mp/about-the-cnmi/ |archive-date=17 August 2020 |url-status=live |quote=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.}}</ref> They then had a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants. With the arrival of passengers and settlers aboard the [[Manila Galleon]]s from the Americas, new [[infectious disease|diseases]] were introduced in the islands, which caused many deaths in the native [[Chamorros|Chamorro]] population.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Spencer |last=Tucker |title=The encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars: a political, social, and military history |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8V3vZxOmHssC&pg=PA379 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2009 |page=379 |isbn=978-1-85109-951-1 |access-date=2015-11-22 |archive-date=2023-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925040729/https://books.google.com/books?id=8V3vZxOmHssC&pg=PA379 |url-status=live }}</ref> The native population, who referred to themselves as ''Taotao Tano'' (people of the land)<ref name="The Insular Empire">Warheit, Vanessa [http://www.theinsularempire.com "The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904174335/http://theinsularempire.com/ |date=2017-09-04 }} PBS (documentary). Accessed June 2012.</ref> but were known to the early Spanish colonists as ''Chamurres'' or ''HachaMori'',<ref>{{cite book |title=Jesuits at the Margins: Missions and Missionaries in the Marianas (1668–1769) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q6M0CwAAQBAJ |first=Alexandre Coello |last=de la Rosa |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-317-35453-6 |page=56 |access-date=2020-05-26 |archive-date=2023-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925040729/https://books.google.com/books?id=q6M0CwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> eventually died out as a distinct people, though their descendants intermarried. At the [[Spanish-Chamorro Wars|Spanish occupation in 1668]], the Chamorros were estimated at 50,000, but a century later only 1,800 natives remained, as the majority of the population was of mixed Spanish-Chamorro blood or [[mestizo]].{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} They were characteristic [[Micronesians]], with a considerable civilization. On the island of [[Tinian]] are some remains attributed to them, consisting of [[House of Taga|two rows of massive square stone columns]], about {{convert|5|ft|4|in|m}} broad and {{convert|14|ft|m}} high, with heavy, round [[capital (architecture)|capitals]] called [[latte stone]]s. According to early Spanish accounts [[cinerary urn]]s were found embedded in the capitals.{{Dubious|date=January 2010}}<!-- [Contrary to all recorded burial practices] --> 
 
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 [[History of the Philippines (1565–1898)|Philippines]], as part of the [[Spanish East Indies]].

Research in the archipelago was carried out by [[George Anson, 1st Baron Anson|Commodore Anson]], who in August 1742 landed upon the island of Tinian.<ref>{{cite book |last=George |first=Lord Anion |title=Voyage round the World, book iii |year=1748}}</ref> The Ladrones were visited by [[John Byron|Byron]] in 1765, [[Samuel Wallis|Wallis]] in 1767 and {{interlanguage link|Julien Crozet|fr}} in 1772.

The Marianas and specifically the island of Guam were a stopover for Spanish galleons en route from [[Acapulco]], [[Mexico]] to [[Manila]], Philippines in a convoy known as the [[Manila Galleon|Galeon de Manila]]. Following the [[1872 Cavite mutiny]], several [[Filipino people|Filipinos]] were exiled to Guam, including the father of [[Pedro Paterno]], Maximo Paterno, Dr. Antonio M. Regidor y Jurado and Jose Maria Basa.<ref name=Foreman>{{cite book |last=Foreman |first=J. |year=1906 |title=The Philippine Islands, A Political, Geographical, Ethnographical, Social, and Commercial History of the Philippine Archipelago |location=New York |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |oclc=3913054}}</ref>{{rp|107–108}}

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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Langdon |first=Robert |year=1984 |title=Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific ports and islands by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century |location=Canberra |publisher=Pacific Manuscripts Bureau |page=160 |isbn=0-86784-471-X}}</ref> The last known visit was made by the American whaler [[Charles W. Morgan (ship)|''Charles W. Morgan'']] in February 1904.<ref>Langdon, p.163</ref>

=== Loss from Spain and split in governance ===
{{main article|Guam|Northern Mariana Islands}}
[[File:Stamp Mariana Islands 1901 20pf.jpg|thumb|upright=0.45|A 1901 stamp from the German-era Marianas]]
The Marianas remained a Spanish [[colony]] under the [[general government of the Philippines]] until 1898, when, as a result of its loss in the [[Spanish–American War]], [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] ceded [[Guam]] to the United States. Guam has been separate from the [[Northern Mariana Islands|Northern Marianas]] since this time. Following the [[Philippine–American War]], [[Apolinario Mabini]] and other [[Filipinos|Filipino]] leaders were exiled to Guam in 1901.<ref name=Mabini>{{cite book |last=Mabini |first=A. |year=1969 |title=The Philippine Revolution |publisher=Republic of the Philippines, Dept. of Education, National Historical Commission |oclc=120546}}</ref>{{rp|vi}}

Weakened from its defeat in the Spanish–American War, [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] could no longer effectively control and protect the nearly 6,000 islands it retained throughout [[Micronesia]], including the Northern Marianas, [[Caroline Islands|Carolines]] and [[Pelew Islands]]. Therefore, Spain entered into the [[German-Spanish Treaty (1899)|German-Spanish Treaty of February 12, 1899]] to sell the Northern Marianas and its other remaining islands to [[German Empire|Germany]] for 837,500 [[German gold mark]]s (about [[United States dollar|US$]]4,100,000 at the time{{cn|date=September 2023}}). The Northern Marianas and other island groups were incorporated by Germany as a small part of the larger [[German Protectorate of New Guinea]]. The total population in the Northern Marianas portion of these islands was only 2,646 inhabitants around this time, with the ten most northerly islands being actively volcanic and thus mostly uninhabited.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

Japan, allied with the [[Triple Entente|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 the [[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 ===
[[File:A member of a Marine patrol on Saipan found this family of Japs hiding in a hillside cave. The mother, four children an - NARA - 532380.jpg|thumb|U.S. Marine [[First Lieutenant]] [[Robert B. Sheeks]] talks a terrified Chamorro woman and her children into abandoning their refuge. [[Battle of Saipan]], 1944.]]

The island chain saw significant fighting during World War II. [[Guam]], a possession of the United States since 1898, [[Battle of Guam (1941)|was captured]] by [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] in an attack from the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] that began on the day of the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] (December 8, 1941, the same time as the Pearl Harbor attack across the International Date Line). In 1944, the United States [[Mariana and Palau Islands campaign|captured the Mariana Islands chain from Japan]]: the Northern Mariana Islands were desired by the U.S. as [[Strategic bombing|bombing]] bases to reach the [[Mainland Japan|Japanese mainland]], with the [[Battle of Saipan|invasion of Saipan]] being launched for that reason in June before the U.S. even moved to recapture Guam; a month later the U.S. [[Battle of Guam (1944)|recaptured Guam]] and [[Battle of Tinian|captured Tinian]]. Once captured, [[Saipan]] and [[Tinian]]'s islands were used extensively by the [[United States military]] as they finally put mainland Japan within a round-trip range of American [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29 bombers]]. In response, Japanese forces [[Japanese air attacks on the Mariana Islands|attacked the bases]] on Saipan and Tinian from November 1944 to February 1945.<ref>"Air Raids & Attempted Air Raids against Saipan from 1 Nov 1944 to Occupation of Iwo Jima"{{Full citation needed|date=October 2025}}</ref> At the same time and afterwards, the [[United States Army Air Forces]] based on these islands conducted [[Air raids on Japan|an intense strategic bombing campaign]] against the Japanese cities of military and industrial importance, including [[Bombing of Tokyo|Tokyo]], [[Bombing of Nagoya in World War II|Nagoya]], [[Bombing of Osaka|Osaka]], [[Bombing of Kobe in World War II|Kobe]], and others. Both US bombers the ''[[Enola Gay]]'' and the ''[[Bockscar]]'' (which [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|dropped atomic bombs]] on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]], respectively) flew their missions from Tinian's [[North Field (Tinian)|North Field]].

According to Werner Gruhl: "Mariana Island historians estimate that 10 percent of Guam's approximately 20,000 population were killed by violence, most by the [[Japanese Imperial Army]] and [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Navy]]."<ref>{{Cite book|first1=Werner|last1=Gruhl|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ow5Wlmu9MPQC&pg=PA102|title=Imperial Japan's World War Two, 1931–1945|publisher=Transaction Publishers|year=2007 |ISBN=978-0-7658-0352-8}}</ref>

=== Post-World War II ===
{{see also|Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands}}
The direct result of [[World War II]] on the Mariana Islands was that, after the war, the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] came under the control of the United States in the same way they had earlier come under the control of [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] after World War I. However, this time they became part of the U.S.-administered [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands]] (TTPI) established pursuant to [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 21|Security Council Resolution 21]]. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands later became a [[United States territory|U.S. territory]] following its exit from the TTPI pursuant to [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 683|Security Council Resolution 683]]. Although now both under U.S. control, the Northern Mariana Islands are separate from [[Guam]]. Efforts at [[Unification of the Mariana Islands|reunification]] have failed in part due to residual post-war tensions resulting from the very different histories of Guam (occupied by Japan for only 31 months, in wartime) and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] (more peacefully occupied by Japan, for about 30 years).

== List of islands (from north to south) ==
[[File:Map of the Northern Mariana Islands admin.png|thumb|Map of the Northern Mariana Islands divided into their administrative municipalities]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
! align="center" |Island name
! align="center" |Population (2020 census)<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 Census Population of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Municipality and Village |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/commonwealth-of-the-northern-mariana-islands/population-and-housing-unit-counts/commonwealth-northern-mariana-islands-phc-table02.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020 |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/island-areas/guam/population-and-housing-unit-counts/guam-phc-table01.pdf}}</ref>
![[Territories of the United States|Territory]]
! align="center" |Administrative divisions
|-
| [[Farallon de Pajaros|Farallon de Pajaros (Uracus)]]
|0
| rowspan="15" |[[Northern Mariana Islands|Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)]]
(unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the USA)

Population: 47,329
| rowspan="11" |Municipality of [[Northern Islands Municipality|Northern Islands]]
Population: 7
|-
| [[Maug Islands]]
|0
|-
| [[Asuncion Island|Asuncion]]
|0
|-
| [[Agrihan]]
|4
|-
| [[Pagan (island)|Pagan]]
|2
|-
| [[Alamagan]]
|1
|-
| [[Guguan]]
|0
|-
| [[Zealandia Bank|Papaungan]]
|
|-
| [[Sarigan]]
|0
|-
| [[Anatahan]]
|0
|-
| [[Farallon de Medinilla]]
|0
|-
| [[Saipan]]
|43,385
|Municipality of Saipan
|-
| [[Tinian]]
|2,044
| rowspan="2" |Municipality of Tinian
|-
| [[Aguigan|Aguijan]]
|0
|-
| [[Rota (island)|Rota]]
|1,893
|Municipality of Rota
|-
| [[Guam]]
|153,836
|Guam (territory of the USA)
|19 [[villages of Guam]]
|}
In addition, the [[Esmeralda Bank]], [[Ruby Seamount]], and [[Supply Reef]] are submarine landforms in the Mariana archipelago.

== Tourism ==
{{expand section|date=August 2013}}
[[Tourism]] in the [[Northern Mariana Islands|Northern Marianas]] is split mainly between [[Philippines|Filipino]], Japanese, American, [[South Korea|Korean]], [[Taiwan|Taiwanese]], and [[China|Chinese]] tourists. There are several large tour operators in Saipan that cater to Asian tourists coming to the island. By far, the majority of tourism in the 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]].<ref>{{Cite web |title= Northern Mariana Islands: Garment and Tourist Industries|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-GGD-00-79/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-GGD-00-79.htm}}</ref> Many businesses on the islands rely on purchases from tourists, many of which are from East Asia. However, the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] has severely taken a toll on tourism and the variety of nationalities arriving on the islands has rapidly dwindled, making Korean visitors comprise a large majority of tourist arrivals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-07 |title=King-Hinds asks US to assist in rebooting CNMI tourism {{!}} Representative Kimberlyn King-hinds |url=http://king-hinds.house.gov/media/in-the-news/king-hinds-asks-us-assist-rebooting-cnmi-tourism |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=king-hinds.house.gov |language=en}}</ref> Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have reported a 55.6% and 53% decrease in visitors between calendar years 2019 and 2024 respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Press Release & Reports – Marianas Visitors Authority – Saipan {{!}} Tinian {{!}} Rota |url=https://mva.mymarianas.com/press-release-reports/ |access-date=2025-06-25 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=December 2024 Arrival Comparison |url=https://www.guamvisitorsbureau.com/sites/default/files/guam_daily_arrivals_-_december_1-31_2024.pdf |website=Guam Visitors Bureau}}</ref> Adding to the decline in tourism is the delay of [[Electronic visa|electronic travel authorizations]] for Chinese tourists, which is another major blow to the "already crumbling economy" of the Mariana Islands.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erediano |first=Emmanuel T. |date=2025-05-06 |title=King-Hinds urges feds to resolve ETA issues as NMI economy struggles |url=https://www.mvariety.com/news/local/king-hinds-urges-feds-to-resolve-eta-issues-as-nmi-economy-struggles/article_0bef8c6b-b0a6-4d3f-ac4e-e37c79ef9698.html |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=Marianas Variety News & Views |language=en}}</ref> There is progress to combat the tourism decline, including plans such as the 2 year, $60 million tourist recovery plan backed by Guam governor [[Lou Leon Guerrero]] and envisioned by the Guam Visitors Bureau.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taitano II |first=Joe |date=2024-12-17 |title='We need to all work together': Government, industry talk lagging tourism |url=https://www.guampdn.com/we-need-to-all-work-together-government-industry-talk-lagging-tourism/article_5c8a6a60-bb88-11ef-b6d6-47da9db57db4.html |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=guampdn.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Cuisine ==
[[File:Chamorro red rice.png|thumb|Chamorro red rice]]
{{Main|Cuisine of the Mariana Islands}}
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),<ref>[http://www.annieschamorrokitchen.com/apigigi-or-sweet-tamales/ "Apigigi' or Sweet Tamales"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203172721/http://www.annieschamorrokitchen.com/apigigi-or-sweet-tamales/ |date=2014-12-03 }} (Aug. 10, 2013) Annie's Chamorro Kitchen</ref> and tropical fruits.

== See also ==
* [[Rail transport on the Mariana Islands]]
* [[Apostolic Prefecture of Mariana Islands]]
* [[Lists of islands]]
* [[Marianas tropical dry forests|Marianas tropical dry forest]]
* [[List of endemic plants in the Mariana Islands]]
* [[List of birds of the Northern Mariana Islands]]
* [[List of mammals of the Northern Mariana Islands]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140427193501/http://gaebler.info/sonstiges/marianen.htm 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
* {{EB1911 |wstitle=Marianas (archipelago) |display=Marianas, an archipelago in the north-western Pacific Ocean}}
* {{Catholic |wstitle=Prefecture Apostolic of Mariana Islands |author=Thomas Kennedy}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|Portal:Mariana Islands|Mariana Islands}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Mariana Islands}}
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle=Ladrone Islands |volume=XIV |last=Brickwood |first=Edwin |author-link=Edwin Brickwood |pages=278–280 |short=1}}

{{-}}
{{Vehicle registration plates of the United States}}
{{Oceania in topic|Vehicle registration plates of}}
{{Northern Mariana Islands}}
{{Guam}}
{{Ancient seafaring}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mariana Islands| ]]
[[Category:Chamorro people]]
[[Category:Former Spanish colonies]]
[[Category:Geography of Guam]]
[[Category:Geography of Micronesia]]
[[Category:Geography of the Northern Mariana Islands]]
[[Category:Spanish East Indies]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the United States]]