Agrihan

Agrihan is an elliptical volcanic island in the northern Marianas, 62 kilometres north of Pagan. Its whole landmass forms a massive stratovolcano, with a deeply cut forested interior and a summit that is the highest point in Micronesia. Coconut palms, breadfruit and papaya grow on the lower slopes and in ravines, while swordgrass covers the upper ground. Level land is scarce and confined mainly to the south-east shore and the northern side of the central caldera.

The island rises isolated from the ocean, so arrival and anchorage have always depended on difficult sea conditions. Chamorro people were living on Agrihan when Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa arrived with the Trinidad in 1522. Unable to anchor or obtain a welcome, his party seized an islander for information. The Spanish missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores visited in 1669 and gave the island the name San Francisco Javier.

In 1695 its population was forcibly removed to Saipan and later to Guam. Hawaiian settlers tried to establish a settlement in 1810.