Admiralty << AD muhr uhl tee, >> Islands, a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, are part of the nation of Papua New Guinea. Also known as the Manus Islands, they cover 800 square miles (2,072 square kilometers). The group includes one large island (Manus); several small, hilly volcanic islands; and about 100 low reef islands. About 74,500 people live in the islands. They rely on income from crops, fishing, and remittances (money sent) from family members living abroad. Lorengau, the group’s principal town, is on Manus Island.
Hunters and gatherers first settled the islands approximately 40,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found several sites in the islands from the seafaring and farming Lapita culture, which arose 3,500 years ago. The first Europeans to reach the island were probably the Dutch navigators Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire. In 1616, they found the islands inhabited by Melanesians. Germany claimed the group in 1884. Australians captured the islands in World War I (1914-1918), and Japan occupied them in 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). In 1944, American and Australian troops recaptured the islands.
See also Bismarck Archipelago; Lapita culture; Pacific Islands.
