Karen O'Shea, age 15, of Grand Forks, N.D., for her question:
WHO FIRST SETTLED THE PACIFIC ISLANDS?
First settlers in the Pacific Islands, most scholars say, came from Asia several thousand years ago. They probably reached the Pacific by way of Indonesia and then traveled to islands in Melanesia. They followed land bridges wherever possible and made other parts of their journey by water, using rafts or dugouts.
Over hundreds of years, settlements were established on all of the main islands of Melanesia and Micronesia. When the first Europeans reached the Pacific in the 1500s, some of the island civilizations were already more than 1,000 years old.
Most of the islands of Polynesia were settled later than those of Melanesia and Micronesia. Many Polynesian islands are farther apart than islands in Melanesia and Micronesia and so are harder to reach by boat.
First settlers of Polynesia were probably groups of seafaring people from eastern Melanesia or Micronesia. Some of these groups may have set out in search of new homes while others may have been blown off of planned courses by violent storms.
In 1513, the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa became the first European to sight the eastern Pacific. He saw it from Panama.
In 1520, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magelian began to sail westward across the Pacific. In 1521 he discovered Guam. Following Magellan's discovery, many Europeans searched the Pacific for other islands. The Caroline, Marquesas, Solomon and Tuvalu island groups were discovered during this period.
During the 1600s, the Netherlands took the lead in exploring the Pacific. One of the most important finds came from Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who discovered New Zealand in 1642.
Most historians agree that the greatest Pacific explorer of the 1700s was Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy. He toured the Pacific for 11 years between 1768 and 1779 and discovered Hawaii, New Caladonia and a number of other islands.
Cook's discoveries encouraged both Protestants and Roman Catholics to establish missions throughout Oceania. As a result, many islanders became Christians during the 1800s.
At the same time, American and European traders searched the Pacific for coconut oil, sandalwood and other products. Ships from many countries came to hunt whales. Some traders and whalers treated the islanders badly and were badly treated in return.
European settlers also started to arrive in the islands. Wealthy Europeans established coconut, coffee, pineapple and sugar plantations. The new settlers also included many criminals and lawlessness became a problem.
Europeans also brought disease against which the islanders had no resistance. On some islands, epidemics wiped out most of the population.
By the late 1800s, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and the United States were competing for control of islands. Through many changes of rule, the islanders had little or no voice in their government.