Mariana Islands

The islands were named after Queen Mariana by Spaniards, who first arrived in the early 16th century and who eventually annexed and colonized the archipelago. The indigenous inhabitants are the Chamoru. Archaeologists in 2013 reported findings which indicated the people who first settled the Marianas arrived there after making what was at that 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.

Mariana Islands

The islands were named after Queen Mariana by Spaniards, who first arrived in the early 16th century and who eventually annexed and colonized the archipelago. The indigenous inhabitants are the Chamoru. Archaeologists in 2013 reported findings which indicated the people who first settled the Marianas arrived there after making what was at that 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.