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When did France annex the Marquesas Islands?
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France annexed the Marquesas Islands in 1842.12
Following a request for assistance from the chief of Tahuata, French forces landed on the islands, and shortly thereafter, the local chiefs ceded sovereignty to France. Prior to this, in 1813, the United States had attempted to annex the island of Nuku Hiva, but that annexation was never ratified.2