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The Marquesas Islands (/ m ɑːr ˈ k eɪ s ə s / mar-KAY-səss; French: Îles Marquises or Archipel des Marquises or Marquises; Marquesan: Te Henua ʻEnana (North Marquesan) and Te Fenua ʻEnata (South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean.
The islands are part of the Florida Keys, separated from the rest of the Florida Keys, which are farther east, by the Boca Grande Channel, which is 6 miles (9.7 km) wide until Boca Grande Key, the westernmost of the Mule Keys. Only the Dry Tortugas are farther west, 36 miles (58 km) west of the Marquesas Keys.
The islands are divided into two groups: a southern group of five islands and a northern group consisting of Ua Pou, Ua Huka and Nuku Hiva along with a set of smaller islands to the northwest. [2] The southern and northern Marquesas have distinct forms of Marquesan geography, Marquesan language, and Marquesan culture.
Of all the major island groups of the Pacific, the Marquesas Islands suffered the greatest population decline as a result of Eurasian endemic diseases carried by European explorers, which resulted in epidemics, particularly of smallpox, to which they had no acquired immunity. The estimated 16th-century population of over 100,000 inhabitants ...
It is located about 50 km (30 mi.) south of Nuku Hiva, in the northern Marquesas. The center of the island is characterized by four high basalt pillars that reach high above the surrounding mountains. The highest of these pillars, Mount Oave (Mont Oave), reaches to 1,230 m (4,040 ft) above sea level and is the highest elevation in the Marquesas.
The Marquesas hotspot is marked 26 on the map. The Marquesas hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in the southern Pacific Ocean.It is responsible for the creation of the Marquesas Islands – a group of eight main islands and several smaller ones – and a few seamounts.
People from the Marquesas Islands (1 C, 6 P) Pages in category "Marquesas Islands" The following 15 pages are in this category, out of 15 total.
The Marquesas Islands include 12 major islands of volcanic origin. They extend northwest to southeast between 8º and 11º S latitude and 139º and 141º W longitude. The islands are part of French Polynesia , lying north of the Tuamotu islands, south of Hawaii, and approximately 5,500 km (3,400 mi) west of South America.