Australien. Ansicht der Insel Tininian. / Bewohner der Marianen

Title

Australien. Ansicht der Insel Tininian. / Bewohner der Marianen

Description

Representation of natives from Maraina Islands.

ca. 1790

Artist

Hogg (1778-1824)

Alexander Hogg (1778-1824) was a publisher of books, maps and prints. He was active in London and worked under the sign of the Kings Arms in Paternoster Row. He became known for his publications of James Cook's voyages of discovery.

Historical Description

The Mariana Islands, also known as the Mariana Islands, are a group of islands in the Western Pacific (Oceania), which geographically belong to the island region of Micronesia. Administratively, the Marianas are divided into the two U.S. outlying territories of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands. The archipelago and the Mariana Trench were named after the Spanish Queen Maria Anna of Austria. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to discover the archipelago, formerly known as Ladrones, and his sailors named it Islas de Ladrones ('Island of Thieves') because of thefts by islanders who had come aboard. The Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines rested on the connection to and from the east, specifically the Manila Galleon Route from Acapulco in New Spain (Mexico) to Manila. On this route, the islands located about 2000 kilometers from the Philippine archipelago to the east are the closest land mass and soon became a natural and common stopover on the long journey across the Pacific to pick up fresh water and food. In 1667, almost 150 years after the "discovery" of the Philippines by Magellan, the "Islas de los Ladrones" were therefore officially placed under the Spanish crown. In a protracted war of conquest from 1668 to 1696, the archipelago was conquered and proselytized against fierce resistance from the population. The Marianas became the hub of the Spanish Asian fleet with the Manila Galleon. On Guam, the largest island, the necessary infrastructure was developed to supply the galleons. With the end of Spanish colonial rule in South America, the Manila Galleon trade also ended. The former hub of the lucrative silver trade with China became an insignificant outpost of the Spanish East Indies, which was directly subordinated to Spain after the independence of New Spain. Early in the Spanish-American War, Spain lost in the Battle of Manila Bay, 1898. After World War I, the Marianas, with the exception of U.S. Guam, were placed under Japanese control by the League of Nations. In World War II, the United States captured the islands in the Battle of the Mariana Islands. In 1978, the U.S. gave the Mariana Islands the status of a state associated with the U.S. (Northern Mariana Islands) - except for Guam, which is a "dependent territory" under direct U.S. control and has only a certain degree of internal autonomy because it serves as an important U.S. military base.