Marquesas Islands

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. 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.

Wiktionary

1. n. a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a group of volcanic islands in the south central Pacific; part of French Polynesia