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
United States Army Air Forces in the Central Pacific Area HAWAII ISLAND KAUAI ISLAND MOLOKAI ISLAND OAHU ISLAND JOHNSTON ATOLL LINE ISLANDS MARIANA ISLANDS GUAM ISLAND SAIPAN ISLAND TINIAN ISLAND MARSHALL ISLANDS MIDWAY ISLANDS .* Detachments deployed for use in Battle of Midway PHOENIX ISLANDS RYUKYU ISLANDS VOLCANO ISLANDS 1, United States Army Air Forces in the Central Pacific Area During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the Central Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, excluding the Philippines, Australia, the Netherlands East Indies, the Territory