Northern Mariana Islands

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<p>Austronesian people settled the Northern Mariana Islands around 1500 B.C. These people became the indigenous Chamorro and were influenced by later migrations, including Micronesians in the first century A.D. and island Southeast Asians around 900. Spanish explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN sailed through the Mariana Islands in 1521, and Spain claimed them in 1565. Spain formally colonized the Mariana Islands in 1668 and administered the archipelago from Guam. Spain’s brutal repression of the Chamorro, along with new diseases and intermittent warfare, reduced the indigenous population by about 90% in the 1700s. With a similar dynamic occurring on Guam, Spain forced the Chamorro from the Northern Mariana Islands to resettle there. By the time they returned, many other Micronesians, including Chuukese and Yapese, had already settled on their islands.<br><br>In 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the US after the Spanish-American War but sold the Northern Mariana Islands to Germany under the German-Spanish Treaty of 1899. Germany administered the territory from German New Guinea but took a hands-off approach to day-to-day life. Following World War I, Japan administered the islands under a League of Nations mandate. Japan focused on sugar production and brought in thousands of Japanese laborers, who quickly outnumbered the Chamorro on the islands. During World War II, Japan invaded Guam from the Northern Mariana Islands and used Marianan Chamorro as translators with Guamanian Chamorro, creating friction between the two Chamorro communities that continues to this day. The US captured the Northern Mariana Islands in 1944 after the Battle of Saipan and later administered them as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI).<br><br>On four occasions in the 1950s and 1960s, voters opted for integration with Guam, which Guam rejected in 1969. In 1978, the Northern Mariana Islands was granted self-governance separate from the rest of the TTPI, and in 1986, islanders were granted US citizenship, with the territory coming under US sovereignty as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). In 2009, the CNMI became the final US territory to elect a nonvoting delegate to the US Congress.</p>

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Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines

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15 12 N, 145 45 E

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Oceania

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<strong>note:</strong> consists of 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian

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2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

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1,482 km

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tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October

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the southern islands in this north-south trending archipelago are limestone, with fringing coral reefs; the northern islands are volcanic, with active volcanoes on several islands

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arable land, fish

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1 sq km (2012)

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approximately 90% of the population lives on the island of Saipan

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active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)

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strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean

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Asian 50% (includes Filipino 35.3%, Chinese 6.8%, Korean 4.2%, and other Asian 3.7%), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 34.9% (includes Chamorro 23.9%, Carolinian 4.6%, and other Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 6.4%), other 2.5%, two or more ethnicities or races 12.7% (2010 est.)

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Philippine languages 32.8%, Chamorro (official) 24.1%, English (official) 17%, other Pacific island languages 10.1% (includes Carolinian (official), Chinese 6.8%, other Asian languages 7.3%, other 1.9% (2010 est.)

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Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)

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-0.33% (2025 est.)

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15.8 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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5.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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-13.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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approximately 90% of the population lives on the island of Saipan

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51,000 SAIPAN (capital) (2018)

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2.53 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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1.17 (2025 est.)

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38.2% (2020 est.)

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contamination of groundwater on Saipan; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species

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tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October

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a commonwealth in political union with and under the sovereignty of the US; republican form of government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches

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commonwealth in political union with and under the sovereignty of the US; federal funds administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs

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no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 4 municipalities are considered second-order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian

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the laws of the US apply, except for customs and some aspects of taxation

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see United States

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18 years of age; universal

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<strong>note:</strong> inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

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<strong>note: </strong>the Northern Mariana Islands delegate to the US House of Representatives can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the "Committee of the Whole House," but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote

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<strong>note:</strong> US Federal District Court jurisdiction limited to US federal laws; appeals beyond the CNMI Supreme Court are referred to the US Supreme Court

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Democratic Party<br>Republican Party

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PIF (observer), SPC, UPU

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none (commonwealth in political union with the US)

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Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)

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<strong>description:</strong> blue with a five-pointed white star on a gray latte stone (a traditional foundation stone) in the center, surrounded by a <em>mwáár </em>or head lei (wreath)<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> blue stands for the Pacific Ocean, the star for the Commonwealth, and the latte stone and mwáár for Marianas culture; the mwáár is made from four kinds of flowers: flores mayo (<em>Plumeria</em>), ylang-ylang or langilang (<em>Cananga odorata</em>), angagha or peacock flower (<em>Caesalpinia pulcherrima</em>), and teibwo or Pacific basil (<em>Ocimum tenuiflorum</em>)

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latte stone

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blue, white

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US Pacific island commonwealth economy; growing Chinese and Korean tourist destination; hit hard by 2018 typhoon; dependent on energy imports; exempt from some US labor and immigration laws; longstanding garment production

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<strong>note:</strong> GDP estimate includes US subsidy; data are in 2013 dollars

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<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

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$1.096 billion (2022 est.)

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<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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vegetables and melons, fruits and nuts; ornamental plants; livestock, poultry, eggs; fish and aquaculture products

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tourism, banking, construction, fishing, handicrafts, other services

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<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

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Sweden 21%, Singapore 20%, Hong Kong 12%, UK 8%, India 7% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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scrap iron, refined petroleum, scrap copper, hydraulic engines, integrated circuits (2021)

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top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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<strong>note: </strong>GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

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Singapore 63%, Japan 12%, Hong Kong 8%, Taiwan 4%, Philippines 3% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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refined petroleum, cars, jewelry, trunks and cases, flavored water (2023)

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<p>the US dollar is used</p>

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1 TV station on Saipan; multi-channel cable TV services are available on Saipan; 9 licensed radio stations (2009)

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.mp

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4 (2025)

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7 (2025)

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defense is the responsibility of the US