Marshall Islands
History
The Marshall Islands were settled by Micronesians in the 2nd millennium BC. Little is known of this early history. People traveled by canoe between islands using traditional stick charts.
[edit] Spanish Exploration
Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar was the first European to see the islands in 1526, he commanded the ship “Santa Maria de la Victoria”, the only surviving vessel of LoaÃsa Expedition. On August 21, he sighted an island at 14°N that they named “San Bartolome” (probably Taongi).
On September 21, 1529, Alvaro de Saavedra commanded the Spanish ship “Florida”, on his second attempt to recross the Pacific from the Moluccas. He stood off a group of islands from which several natives came off and hurled stones at his ship. These islands, named by him “Los Pintados,” may have been Ujelang. On October 1, he found another group of islands where he went ashore for eight days, exchanged gifts with natives and took on water. These islands, “Los Jardines,” could be Eniwetok or Bikini Atoll.[6]
The Spanish ship “San Pedro” and two other vessels in expedition commanded by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi on January 9, discovered an island at 10°N where they went ashore and traded with natives and named it “Los Barbudos” (possibly Mejit). On January 10, they sighted another island that they named “Placeres” (perhaps Ailuk), ten leagues away, they sighted another island that they called “Pajares” (perhaps Jemo). On January 12, they sighted another island at 10°N which they called “Corrales” (possibly Wotho). On January 15, another low island was sighted at 10°N (perhaps Ujelang) where they made a good description of the people on “Barbudos.”[7] After that, ships like “San Jeronimo”, “Los Reyes”, “Todos los Santos” also visited the islands in different years.
Other European Expeditions
Captain John Charles Marshall together with Thomas Gilbert came to the islands in 1788. The islands were named after the first in the Russian (Krusenstern) and French (Duperrey) maps (1820), later in the English maps. However, they were claimed under the Spanish sovereignty as part of the Spanish East Indies. In 1874, the Spanish sovereignty was recognized by the international community. They were sold to Germany in 1884 through papal mediation.
A German trading company settled on the islands in 1885. They became part of the protectorate of German New Guinea some years later.
Geography
The islands are located north of Nauru and Kiribati, east of the Federated States of Micronesia, and south of the U.S. territory of Wake Island, to which it lays claim.
The country consists of 29 atolls and 5 isolated islands. The atolls and islands form two groups: the Ratak Chain and the Ralik Chain (meaning “sunrise” and “sunset” chains). 24 of them are inhabited (see above section). The uninhabited atolls are:
- Ailinginae Atoll
- Bikar (Bikaar) Atoll
- Bikini Atoll
- Bokak Atoll
- Erikub Atoll
- Jemo Island
- Nadikdik Atoll
- Rongerik Atoll
- Toke Atoll
- Ujelang Atoll
A majority of the islands’ land mass is at sea level.
June 07 2011 08:08 pm | Oceania