Evidence of early colonisation by the Polynesians dates back approximately 3000 years. European contact began in the 17th and 18th centuries with European sea-farers and slave traders. This early contact had some disastrous effects with hundreds of people lured into slavery through deceptive practices, destined for the mines in Peru, never to return. Further, European diseases have had a severe effect upon the population; for example, the measles epidemic of 1850, during which 70% of the population of 20,000 was wiped out.
The United States used the islands as a military base during World War II and has maintained close ties since that time.