Northern Mariana Islands
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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 Template:Coor dms.
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| 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 | Gi Talo Gi Halom Tase | ||||
| Internet TLD | .mp | ||||
| Calling Code | +1 670 | ||||
The islands total some 477 square kilometers. An overview is presented next, with the individual islands from North to South:
Saipan, Tinian, and Rota have the only ports and harbors, and are the only permanently populated islands.
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Climate and Geography
Mpud.jpg
The islands have a tropical marine climate moderated by seasonal 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.
CNMImap-CIA.jpg
The Northern Mariana Islands' primary export is textiles, which are made in sub-standard working conditions. The labor laws of the United States of America do not apply in this commenwealth. The strongest reason for this popularity in textile exports is that the label can say 'Made In The USA' without maintaining labor standards.
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. On June 15, 1944, during World War II, U.S. Marines landed on the islands 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 U.S. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence, but instead to forge closer links with the U.S. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the U.S. 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, had it become law, would have allowed CNMI to elect a non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives starting with the 2006 election. The bill died at the end of the 108th Congress. But, on February 18, 2005, the Delegate Act was reintroduced by Pombo with a new number, H.R. 873. [1] (http://www.resrep.gov.mp/press%20releases/873%20drop.htm)
| No. | Island | Area (km2) | Population | Height (m) | Highest Peak | Location |
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| 1 | Farallon de Pajaros (Uracas) | 2.0 | uninhabited | 319 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 2 | Maug Islands | 2.0 | occupied 1939-1944 | 227 | (North Island) | Template:Coor dm |
| 3 | Asuncion | 7.4 | uninhabited | 891 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 4 | Agrihan (Agrigan) | 40.0 | evacuated 1990 | 965 | Mount Tapochao | Template:Coor dm |
| 5 | Pagan | 46.6 | small | 579 | Mount Pagan | Template:Coor dm |
| 6 | Alamagan | 11.0 | small | 744 | Bandeera | Template:Coor dm |
| 7 | Guguan | 4.0 | uninhabited | 301 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 8 | Zealandia Bank | >0.0 | uninhabited | >0 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 9 | Sarigan | 4.9 | formerly inhabitated | 549 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 10 | Anatahan | 30.8 | evacuated 1990 | 787 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 11 | Farallon de Medinilla | 0.9 | uninhabited | 81 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 12 | Saipan | 122.9 | ... | 474 | Mount Tagpochau | Template:Coor dm |
| 13 | Tinian | 102.0 | ... | 170 | Kastiyu (Lasso Hill) | Template:Coor dm |
| 14 | Aguijan (Agiguan) | 7.0 | uninhabited | 157 | Template:Coor dm | |
| 15 | Rota | 95.7 | ... | 491 | Sabana | Template:Coor dm |
| NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS | 477.2 | ... | 965 | Mount Tapochao | 14°08' to 20°33'N, 144°54° to 146°04'W |
- From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Little Wikification.
See also
- Demographics of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Economy of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Communications on the Northern Mariana Islands
- Music of the Northern Mariana Islands
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/history.htm)
- H.R. 873 - the Northern Mariana Islands Delegate Act (http://www.theorator.com/bills109/hr873.html)
- Satellite Image of Anatahan Ash Plume (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?25329)
Template:Northern Mariana Islands
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