History of the Pacific Islands was the first European to sail through the islands and sighted Nui during his expedition in search of Terra Australis. European explorers did not return until two centuries later. In 1819 the island of Funafuti was named Ellice's Island; the name Ellice was applied to all nine islands after the work of English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay (1812–1876). The islands came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when each of the Ellice Islands was declared a British protectorate by Captain Gibson R.N., of HMS "Curacoa", between 9 and 16 October 1892. The Ellice Islands were administered
Marshall Islands at the 2008 Summer Olympics the qualification standards, the other five athletes at the Games were all wildcard entries. He represented his country in taekwondo. Jared Heine is a swimmer and competed in the 100 meter backstroke. In athletics, the nation was represented by Roman Cress who ran in the men's 100 meters. Haley Nemra also represented the Marshall Islands running in the women's 800 meters. The Marshall Islands are a Micronesian island nation, located in the western Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia. As of 2008 the island had a population of approximately 60,000. The island nation was controlled by the United States,