Mariana Islands (redirected from Ladrones Islands)

Mar·i·an·a Islands  (mr-n, mâr-, mär-änä)

An island group in the western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines. Guam, the largest island of the group, is independent of the others, which are known formally as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Marianas were discovered by Magellan in 1521 and held by Spain until 1898. They were sold to Germany in 1899 (when Guam was ceded to the United States) and later became a Japanese mandate (1919-1944).

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Mariana Islands [ˌmærɪˈɑːnə]

pl n

(Placename) a chain of volcanic and coral islands in the W Pacific, east of the Philippines and north of New Guinea: divided politically into Guam (a US unincorporated territory) and the islands north of Guam constituting the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (a US commonwealth territory). Pop.: (Guam) 158 000 (2001 est.); (Northern Marianas) 73 400 (2001 est.). Area: 958 sq. km (370 sq. miles) Former name (1521-1668) Ladrone Islands

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Mariana Islands - a chain of coral and volcanic islands in Micronesia (including Guam and the Northern Marianas) halfway between New Guinea and Japan; discovered by Magellan in 1521 Ladrone Islands, Marianas Federated States of Micronesia, Micronesia, TT - a country scattered over Micronesia with a constitutional government in free association with the United States; achieved independence in 1986 Northern Mariana Islands, Northern Marianas - a self-governing territory comprising all of the Mariana Islands except Guam GU, Guam - the largest and southernmost island in the Marianas which is administered as a territory of the United States; it was ceded by Spain to the United States in 1898