Northern Mariana Islands

Facts & Figures

Map of Northern Mariana Islands

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Status: Commonwealth

Governor: Benigno R. Fitial (2006)

Capital: Chalan Kanoa (on Saipan)

Total area: 184 sq mi (477 sq km)

Population (2008 est.): 86,616 (growth rate: 2.3%); birth rate: 19.0/1000; infant mortality: 6.7/1000; life expectancy: 76.5; density per sq mi: 181

Languages: English (official), Chamorro, Carolinian

Ethnicity/race: Chamorro, Carolinian, other Micronesian, Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean

Religion: Primarily Roman Catholic

National Holiday: Commonwealth Day, January 8

Literacy rate: 97% (1980 est.)

Monetary unit: U.S. dollar

More Facts & Figures

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands, east of the Philippines and south of Japan, include the islands of Rota, Saipan, Tinian, Pagan, Guguan, Agrihan, and Aguijan. Although sighted by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 as he sailed for Spain, the islands were not settled by Europeans until 1668, when missionaries converted the indigenous Chamorro people to Catholicism. They were ruled successively by Spain, Germany, and Japan before they became a UN Trusteeship (administered by the U.S.) after World War II. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) became part of the United States in Nov. 1986. Spanish cultural traditions remain strong.

In recent years, Saipan's garment industry has been accused of exploiting thousands of Asian immigrants. Saipan's territorial status enables its employers to claim their clothing is “Made in the USA,” while paying workers low wages and sidestepping import duties and tariffs.

See also Encyclopedia: Northern Mariana Islands .