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Northern Mariana Islands

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is a commonwealth in political union with the United States of America at a strategic location in the West Pacific Ocean. It consists of 14 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines, at 15°12'N, 145°45'E. The islands, which include Saipan, Rota , Farallon de Pajaros and Tinian, total some 477 square kilometers. Saipan and Tinian have the best ports and harbors.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands
(In Detail) (In Detail )
National motto: ?
Image:LocationNorthernMarianas.png
Official languages English, Chamorro, Carolinian
Capital Saipan
Chief of state George W. Bush
Governor Juan N. Babauta
Resident Representative Pedro Agulto Tenorio
Area
 - Total
 - % water
Ranked 230th
477 km²
Negl.
Population
 - Total (2003)
 - Density
Ranked N/A
80,006 (July 2003 est.)
168/km²
Independence none (in political union with the USA)
Currency US dollar (USD)
Time zone UTC+10
National anthem ?
Internet TLD .mp
Calling Code +1 670


Climate and Geography

The islands have a tropical marine climate moderated by northeast trade winds. There is little seasonal temperature variation; the dry season runs from December to June, the rainy season from July to October can include typhoons. The southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; the northern islands are volcanic, with active volcanoes on Anatahan, Pagan and Agrihan . (The volcano on Agrihan is the highest elevation in the islands at 965 meters (3,165 feet)). About one-fifth of the land is arable, another tenth is permanent pasture. The primary natural resource is fish, which causes conflict with the protection of endangered species. Past development has created landfills that must be cleaned up and has caused contamination of groundwater on Saipan, which may contribute to disease.

The islands have over 350 kilometers of highways, three airports with paved runways (one some 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) long, two around 2,000 (6560 feet) meters), three airports with unpaved runways (one about 3,000 meters long, two under 1,000 (3280 feet) meters), and one heliport.

Anatahan Volcano is a small volcanic island located 120 km (80 miles) north of Saipan Island and 320 km (200 miles) north of Guam. The island is about 9 km (5.6 miles) long and 3 km (2 miles) wide. Anatahan began erupting suddenly from its east crater at about 5:00 p.m. on May 10, 2003.

History

The first European in these waters was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who landed on nearby Guam and claimed the islands for Spain. Angry at larcenous natives, he first dubbed the islands "Las Islas de los Ladrones", (The Islands of the Thieves), but in 1668 their name was changed to Las Marianas after Mariana of Austria, widow of Spain's Philip IV. Nearly all of the islands' native population died out during Spanish rule, but new settlers from modern-day Micronesia repopulated them to some extent. Sold to Germany in 1899, the Japanese took over in 1914 and turned the island into a military garrison. During World War II, the Marines landed on June 15, 1944 and eventually won the bitterly fought three-week Battle of Saipan.

After Japan's defeat, the islands were administered by the United States as part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; thus, defense and foreign affairs are the responsibility of the US. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978.

On September 23, 2004 Congressman Richard Pombo of California introduced H. R. 5135 - the Northern Mariana Islands Delegate Act. The bill, if it becomes law, would allow CNMI to elect a nonvoting delegate to the U.S. Congress starting with the 2006 election .

See: Governors of Northern Mariana Islands

From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Not Wikified.

External links

  • Northern Mariana Islands Official Site http://www.gov.mp/
  • Negative site about life in CNMI http://www.saipansucks.com/
  • Moon Handbooks Micronesia http://www.southpacific.org/micro.html
  • myMicronesia/Northern Marianas section http://www.mymicronesia.com/northernmarianas/
  • www.lonelyplanet.com http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/pacific/northern_mariana_islands/histor
    y.htm
  • H.R. 5135 - the Northern Mariana Islands Delegate Act http://www.theorator.com/bills108/hr5135.html
  • Pacific Daily News article on H.R. 5135 http://www.guampdn.com/news/stories/20040926/localnews/1304319.html
  • Satellite Image of Anatahan Ash Plume http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?25329


Countries in Oceania
Australia | East Timor | Fiji | Kiribati | Marshall Islands | Federated States of Micronesia | Nauru | New Zealand | Palau | Papua New Guinea | Samoa | Solomon Islands | Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu
Other political units: American Samoa | Cook Islands | Easter Island | French Polynesia | Guam | Hawaii | Maluku Islands | Midway Atoll | New Caledonia | Niue | Norfolk Island | Northern Mariana Islands | Papua (Indonesia) | Pitcairn Islands | Tokelau | Wake Island | Wallis and Futuna | West Timor


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Federal district District of Columbia
Insular areas American Samoa | Baker Island | Guam | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Navassa Island | Northern Mariana Islands | Palmyra Atoll | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands | Wake Island



Last updated: 02-05-2005 17:40:20
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55