  Early X-ray surveys of the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) were performed with the
imaging instruments of the Einstein, ASCA and ROSAT satellites revealing
discrete X-ray sources and large-scale diffuse emission. Large samples of
supernova remnants, high and low mass X-ray binaries and super-soft X-ray
sources could be studied in detail. Today, the major X-ray observatories
XMM-Newton and Chandra with their advanced angular and spectral resolution and
extended energy coverage are ideally suited for detailed population studies of
the X-ray sources in these galaxies and to draw conclusions on our own Galaxy.
We summarize our knowledge about the X-ray source populations in the MCs from
past missions and present first results from systematic studies of the Small
Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using the growing number of archival XMM-Newton
observations.
