Mariana Islands

The Mariana Islands are an archipelago in the western North Pacific that includes volcanic high islands and coral atolls. The group includes the island of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and lies close to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the global oceans.

The islands offer beach resorts, coral reefs and popular diving, as well as World War II historic sites and strong local Chamorro culture. Larger islands such as Saipan and Guam have developed infrastructure, while smaller islands remain sparsely populated and volcanic.

Archaeological and linguistic evidence show Chamorro and other Austronesian peoples settled the islands thousands of years ago. European contact began in the 16th century and the archipelago underwent Spanish, German, Japanese and 20th-century U.S. administration changes before the present arrangements.

The Marianas lie north of the equator in the western Pacific, east of the Philippines and south of Japan. The group spans several hundred kilometres of ocean and includes both inhabited and uninhabited islands.

• Political status: The archipelago includes the U.S. territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which have separate administrations.
• Deep ocean: The nearby Mariana Trench contains Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the world's oceans.

What to See #

• Guam: The largest and southernmost inhabited island in the group and a U.S. territory with the capital at Hagåtña.
• Saipan: The main populated island and administrative centre of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, with Saipan as its population and service hub.
• Tinian: An island used during World War II with notable airfields and historic sites related to the Pacific campaign.
• Mariana Trench: A deep ocean trench east of the islands containing Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in Earth's oceans.