Geography of The Mariana Islands
Marianas, or Mariana Islands, a group of 22 volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean, forming part of Micronesia. They extend for more than 500 miles (800 km) in a north-south line, some 3,700 miles (5,950 km) west-southwest of Hawaii. Southwest of the islands, in the Mariana Trench, is the greatest known oceanic depth—35,810 feet (10,915 m).
Guam, the largest island (209 square miles, or 541 km2), is a United States possession. Hagátña is the capital. The other islands, known as Northern Marianas, are a self-governing commonwealth under the sovereignty of the United States. These islands, totaling 184 square miles (477 km2), include Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Saipan was the scene of heavy fighting during World War II, and Tinian was the site of the base for the bombers that dropped the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945.