Geographically, the marianas are part of a larger region called micronesia, situated between 13° and 21°n latitude and 144° and 146°e longitude. Mariana islands, island arc, a series of volcanic and uplifted coral formations in the western pacific ocean, about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) east of the philippines They are the highest slopes of a massive undersea mountain range, rising some 6 miles (9.5 km) from the marianas trench in the ocean. The mariana trench is the deepest part of the ocean Its deepest point, known as the challenger deep, reaches approximately 10,984 meters (36,037 feet) below sea level, making it the deepest known point on earth. The pacific plate is subducted beneath the mariana plate, creating the mariana trench, and (further on) the arc of the mariana islands, as water trapped in the plate is released and explodes upward to form island volcanoes and earthquakes.
It stretches for more than 1,580 miles (2,540 km) with a mean width of 43 miles (69 km) and is part of the western pacific system of oceanic trenches coinciding with subduction zones. Mariana is a feminine given name of latin origin The masculine equivalent is marianus, which is derived from marius Marianus became mariano in italian, spanish and portuguese The mariana trench is the deepest place on earth, deeper than the height of mount everest above sea level It is five times longer than the grand canyon and includes some 50,532,102 acres that are virtually unknown to humans.
