Mariana Islands

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).