Marquesas Islands,

Marquesas Islands, or MENDAÑAS, are a group in Polynesia, N. of Tuamotu or Low Archipelago, between 8° and 11° S. lat. and 138° and 141° W. long. The name strictly applies to four or five islands discovered by Mendaña in 1595, but usually includes now the Washington group of seven islands, to the north-west, which were discovered by the American Ingraham in 1797. Total area, 492 sq. m. The whole archipelago is volcanic. Hiva-oa and Nuka-hiva are the largest islands. Nearly all are shaped into several narrow valleys, in which the bulk of the population, 5216 in 1885, live. In Cook's time there were 100,000 inhabitants, but in 1838 they had decreased to 20,000. They are perhaps the finest race of the brown Polynesian stock, and, though courteous, are cruel and revengful. Since 1842 the islands have been a French protectorate. A little cotton is grown by Chinese immigrants.