A volcanic archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean, part of French Polynesia. The southern islands were discovered by a Spanish navigator in 1595; the northern group, by an American seafarer in 1791. France took possession of the islands in 1842.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
