Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially Community of the Northern Mariana Islands (in English Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), is one of the fourteen unincorporated territories and one of the two free associated states with self-governing status of the United States of America. It consists of fourteen northern islands of the Mariana Islands, located between Hawaii and the Philippines and north from Guam (15°12′N 145°45′E / 15,200, 145,750). The islands include Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, among others, with a total area of 464 km². According to the 2010 census, they are inhabited by about 53,900 people. Saipan and Tinian are the main ports. The administrative center is the village of Capital Hill, located in the northwest of Saipan. As the island is governed by a single municipality, many sources consider Saipan the capital.

Etymology

The first European to see the archipelago was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who landed on the island of Guam and claimed the islands for the King of Spain, naming the islands the "Islands of Thieves." Later, the name of the archipelago was changed as a tribute to the queen consort of Spain, Mariana of Austria, who lived in the 17th century, the time when Spanish colonization reached its greatest extent. Today, politically, Guam (the southernmost island) is a separate territory from the rest of the archipelago, while the other Mariana Islands form a commonwealth called the Northern Mariana Islands (Northern Mariana Islands). The demonym for the Mariana Islands is "mariano", but for the Northern Mariana Islands "normarian" is used.

Masalok Beach on Tinian Island

History

Early history

The first humans to reach the Mariana Islands settled sometime between 4000 and 2000 BC. C. from Southeast Asia. After first contact with the Spanish, they eventually became known as the Chamorros, a Spanish word similar to Chamori, the name of the upper division of the indigenous caste system.

The ancient people of the Marianas raised columns of megalithic pillars called brass stones on which they built their houses. The Spanish reported that by the time they arrived, the largest ones were already in ruins, and that the Chamorros believed that the ancestors who had erected the pillars lived in a time when people possessed "supernatural" abilities.

In 2013 some archaeologists postulated that the first settlers to settle the Marianas may have made what was at the time the longest uninterrupted journey across the ocean in human history. Archaeological evidence indicates that Tinian may have been the first Pacific island to be occupied.

Spanish colonization

Campanario Cristo Rey, vestige of the Spanish presence.

The first Europeans to reach the Mariana Islands area were Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano, who landed on Guam in 1521. In 1565, the islands became dependent on Spain. In the 17th century they were evangelized by the Jesuits, led by Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores.

The Marianas archipelago was discovered in 1521 by Magellan, naming them Islas de los Ladrones. In the year 1668 a Jesuit mission was established, finding a hostile attitude on the part of the inhabitants of the islands, also in that year the name of the islands was changed to Marianas , in homage to Mariana of Austria, the wife of King Philip IV of Spain.

A large part of the native population died or emigrated during the Spanish-Marian wars that lasted 30 years, being repopulated later by natives from other Micronesian islands. The ruins of the "Old Spanish Tower Church" in Saipan, of the "Old San José Bell Tower" in Tinian and of the "Casa Real" in Rota have been preserved from the Spanish missionary era.

It is likely that Saipan was sighted by Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa in 1522 aboard the Spanish ship Trinidad, which he commanded after the death of Ferdinand Magellan in an attempt to reach present-day Panama. It is likely that this occurred after the sighting of the Maug Islands between late August and late September 1522.

Gonzalo de Vigo deserted in the Maugs of Gómez de Espinosa's Trinidad and over the next four years, living with the local Chamorro Indians, visited thirteen main islands of the Marianas and possibly Saipan among them. The first clear evidence of the arrival of Europeans on Saipan was the Manila galleon Santa Margarita, commanded by Juan Martínez de Guillistegui, which was shipwrecked on the island in February 1600 and whose survivors remained on it for two years, until 250 were killed. rescued by Santo Tomas and Jesús María.

The Spanish formally occupied the island of Saipan in 1668, with the missionary expedition of Diego Luis de San Vitores, who named it San José. Beginning in 1670, it became a port of call for Spanish, and occasionally English, Dutch, and French ships, as a supply station for food and water. The native population declined dramatically due to diseases introduced by Europeans and land conflicts. The survivors were forcibly removed to Guam in 1720 for better control and assimilation. Under Spanish rule, the island was converted into ranches for raising cattle and pigs, which were used to supply Spanish galleons on their way to Mexico.

Asunción Island was discovered in 1669 by the Spanish missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores, who gave him his current name (Asunción de María)

The Spanish formally occupied Tinian in 1669, with the missionary expedition of Diego Luis de San Vitores, who named it Buenavista Mariana. In 1734, the Spanish built a royal palace, Plaza de España (Hagåtña), in Guam for the governor of the islands. The palace was largely destroyed during World War II, but parts of it still remain.

Guam served as an important stopover between Manila and Acapulco for galleons making the transpacific route between the Philippines and New Spain.

In 1668, Father Diego Luis de San Vitores renamed the islands Las Marianas in honor of their patron saint, the Spanish regent Mariana of Austria (1634-1696), widow of Philip IV (reigned 1621-1655).

Most of the islands' native population (90-95%) died of European diseases or intermarried with non-Chamorro settlers under Spanish rule. New settlers, mainly from the Philippines and the Caroline Islands, were brought to repopulate the islands. The Chamorro population gradually recovered, and Chamorra, Filipino, and other local languages remain in the Marianas.

During the 17th century, Spanish settlers moved the Chamorros to Guam, to encourage assimilation and conversion to the Catholicism. By the time they were allowed to return to the Northern Marianas, many Carolinos from present-day eastern Yap State and western Chuuk State had settled in the Marianas. Both languages, as well as English, are now official in the Commonwealth.

Domination of Germany and Japan

Japanese train used for Sugar Transport before World War II

After its defeat in the Spanish-American War, Spain had to cede Guam to the United States in 1898, selling the rest of the Marianas to Germany the following year (along with the Carolinas). With the German defeat in World War I and the loss of its colonies, Japan occupied the islands under a League of Nations mandate, transforming them into a military fortress. Under this arrangement, the Japanese administered the Northern Marianas as part of the South Seas Mandate. During the Japanese period, sugarcane became the main industry on the islands. Garapan, on Saipan, developed as a regional capital, and many Japanese immigrated to the islands.

After the beginning of the Japanese mandate, policies of urban development, public health, industrial promotion and education for the local population were rapidly promoted, which had been abandoned by Germany, which had governed the territory previously.

After becoming a Japanese mandate, Saipan flourished as the inland gateway to the South Seas, not only as a shipping port for locally produced sugar, but also as a transit point for trade with Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Caroline Islands, which they were also Japanese mandate territories. During this period, immigrants from Japan (mainly from Okinawa Prefecture), Taiwan, and Korea settled in the area as plantation workers, stevedores, merchants, and administrative officials.

Japanese factories in Saipan in 1932

During this period, a Japanese company, Nanyo Kohatsu K.K. (based in Chalan Kanoa, Saipan), built sugar refineries on the islands of Saipan, Rota, and Tinian, making them the largest sugar-producing region in Asia. The founder (chairman), Haruji Matsue, was known as the 'Sugar King', and in recognition of his achievements Saipan Park (present-day Sugar King Park) was built on the grounds of the Saipan Shrine. and a statue of his life was erected, unusual for a sitting president.

At the December 1939 census, the total population of the South Seas Mandate was 129,104, of whom 77,257 were Japanese (including ethnic Taiwanese and Koreans). On Saipan, the prewar population included 29,348 Japanese settlers and 3,926 Chamorro and Caroline islanders; Tinian had 15,700 Japanese settlers (including 2,700 ethnic Koreans) and 22 ethnic Chamorra.

World War II

During World War II, US troops landed on the islands on June 15, 1944 and after a three-week struggle, known as the Battle of Saipan, occupied the islands.

The Little Boy atomic bomb in the Mariana Islands in 1945, which soon afterwards would be launched on the Japanese city of Hiroshima

On December 8, 1941, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces from the Marianas launched an invasion of Guam. Chamorros from the Northern Marianas, which had been under Japanese rule for more than 20 years, were brought to Guam to assist the Japanese administration. This, combined with the harsh treatment the Guamanian Chamorros received during the 31-month occupation, created a rift that would become the main reason Guamanians rejected the reunification referendum passed by the Northern Marianas in the 1960s.

On June 15, 1944, the United States Army invaded the Mariana Islands, beginning the Battle of Saipan, which ended on July 9. Of the 30,000 Japanese soldiers defending Saipan, fewer than 1,000 remained alive at the end of the battle. Many Japanese civilians also died, from disease, starvation, enemy fire, and suicide. Approximately 1,000 civilians committed suicide by jumping off the cliffs at Mount Marpi or Marpi Point. US forces recaptured Guam on July 21 and invaded Tinian on July 24. A year later, Tinian was the takeoff point for the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. Rota remained intact (and isolated) until the Japanese surrender in August 1945, due to its military insignificance.

Tinian was not garrisoned by the Japanese Army until the latter stages of World War II, when the Japanese realized its strategic importance as a possible base for American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. The island was taken by the Allies during the Battle of Tinian, from July 24 to August 1, 1944. Of the 8,500-man Japanese garrison, 313 survived the battle. At that time, an estimated 15,700 Japanese civilians (including 2,700 Koreans) were on the island. Many hundreds died in the crossfire, took their own lives, or were executed by the Japanese military to avoid capture by the Americans.

Tinian is located approximately 2,400 kilometers from mainland Japan, and was suitable as a staging area for continued heavy bomber attacks against the Japanese islands. Immediately after the US takeover of the island, construction began on the largest air base of World War II, encompassing the entire island (except its three mountainous areas). Tinian Naval Base numbered 40,000 people, and the Navy Seabees (110th NCB) laid out the base in a pattern of urban streets resembling New York's Manhattan Island, and named the streets accordingly..

The ancient Japanese city of Sunharon was nicknamed "The Village" because its location corresponded to that of Greenwich Village. Central Park was called a large square area between West and North Fields, used primarily to house the base hospitals and otherwise left undeveloped.

The war did not end for everyone with the signing of the armistice. The last group of Japanese holdouts surrendered on Saipan on December 1, 1945. On Guam, Japanese soldier Shōichi Yokoi, unaware the war was over, hid in a jungle cave in the Talofofo area until 1972.

Japanese citizens were eventually repatriated back to their country.

Old Church of San Jose, ruined since the Battle of Tinián of 1944.

Domain United States

After the Second World War, the United Nations Organization handed over the Marianas, in trust status, to the United States of America. During the 1970s, its inhabitants preferred not to become independent, remaining a dependency of the United States, its inhabitants being US citizens. On January 1, 1978, the constitution of its current statute was approved. In 1986 then US President Ronald Reagan proclaimed US dominance over the Northern Marianas, and its residents became full US citizens. In 1990 the United Nations Security Council formally concluded its protectorate.

For years, the US Navy has used the Farallón de Medinilla for bombing and military exercises. In a 2002 lawsuit, the Center for Biological Diversity accused the US Navy of destroying the island's wildlife habitat. A subsequent court ruling ordered the US Department of Defense to cease bombing exercises at Farallón de Medinilla until they complied with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The negative effects of military activities on local fauna and flora have been noted, including terrestrial and oceanic species such as Micronesian megapods, migratory birds, and cetaceans such as boobies, terns, frigate birds, humpback whales, and false killer whales.

Commonwealth

A vessel from the United States National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Marian Islands in 2015

In the 1970s, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided not to seek independence, but to strengthen ties with the United States. Negotiations for commonwealth status began in 1972, and a referendum to establish a commonwealth in political union with the United States was approved in a referendum in 1975. A new government and constitution partially came into effect on January 9, 1978. after being approved in a referendum in 1977. The United Nations approved this agreement by virtue of Security Council Resolution 683. The Northern Mariana Islands came under US sovereignty on November 4, 1986, and the islanders became US citizens. Also on November 4, 1986, the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands entered into full force. force under the Covenant.

In May 1981, volcanic eruptions led to the evacuation of Pagan Island. Most of Pagan's residents have yet to return to Pagan.

In 1982, the Chamorro-Carolinian Language Policy Commission was created to carry out policies to support the Chamorro and Carolinian languages and cultures.

In December 1986, twenty percent of Saipan's houses were destroyed by Typhoon Kim, trees were stripped of their foliage, thousands of coconut palms were felled, roads were blocked, and there was no electricity or public power supply. water for weeks.

In April 1990, people on the west coast of Anatahan were evacuated after seismic swarms and active vents indicated an eruption might be imminent, but no eruption occurred at the time. In May 1992 another seismic swarm occurred. The first historic eruption of Anatahan occurred in May 2003, when a large explosive eruption with a VEI of 4 occurred, forming a new crater inside the eastern caldera and causing a 12 km high ash column that made it difficult to air traffic to Saipan and Guam.

The Northern Mariana Islands do not have voting representation in the United States Congress, but, since 2009, they are represented in the United States House of Representatives by one delegate; congressional delegates may participate in debates and sit on congressional committees, but cannot cast swing votes in the House.

Government and politics

One of the Northern Mariana Islands Government Buildings

After Japan's defeat, the islands were administered by the United States as part of a United Nations trusteeship. Through this agreement, foreign affairs and defense fell under the responsibility of the United States. In 1970, the people of the Northern Marianas decided not to seek their independence, but to strengthen their ties with the United States. In 1975 an agreement was approved creating the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Commonwealth) in association with the United States.

The Northern Mariana Islands have a democratic, representative, and presidential system, in which the Governor is the Head of Government in a multi-party system. The Northern Mariana Islands are a Community in political union with the United States of America. The Community's federal funds are administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the Department of the Interior of the United States of America.

Replicating the separation of powers in other territories of the United States of America and state governments, the Executive Power is exercised by the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Legislative Power is vested in the bicameral Legislature of the Community of Islands Northern Marianas. Senate President Joseph Mediola is a founding member of the Extraterritorial Areas Senate Presidents Caucus. The Judiciary is independent of the Executive and the Legislative.

However, politics in the Northern Mariana Islands would rather be "a function of family relationships and personal loyalties," where the measurements of an extended family are more important than a candidate's personal qualifications. Some critics, including the author of Saipan Sucks, identify these practices with nepotism embedded in democratic mechanisms.

In April 2012, anticipating a funding loss in 2014, the commonwealth's public pension fund filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The retirement fund is a defined benefit pension plan and was funded only partially by the government, with only $268.4 million in assets and $911 million in liabilities. The plan experienced poor investment returns and a benefit structure that had increased without increases in funding.

Northern Mariana Islands Judicial Headquarters (Guma Hustisia, Iiwal Aweewe or House of Justice)

In August 2012, calls arose for the removal of the government, as incumbent governor Benigno Fitial was held responsible for withholding payments from the pension fund, for failing to pay the local utility company (Commonwealth Utilities or "CUC") for government offices for cutting off funding for the only hospital in the Northern Marianas, for interfering with the delivery of a subpoena to its attorney general, for withholding funds necessary for the public schools, and for signing a $190 million contract for power generation.

The Northern Mariana Islands delegation at the 2016 Republican National Convention bragged about being "the most Republican territory" of the United States. As of 2017, the Republican Party held large majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Judicial system

The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, created by act of Congress in 1977 and operating in January 1978, hears federal law cases. The court is based on the island of Saipan, but can do so in other places in the commonwealth. The district court has the same jurisdiction as all other United States district courts, including diversity jurisdiction and bankruptcy jurisdiction. Appeals are filed with the Ninth Circuit. As the territorial court of the United States established by virtue of the territorial power of Congress granted by Article IV of the United States Constitution, judges do not have life appointments, unlike Article III courts in all 50 states, the District Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands hears land law cases, and the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands hears appeals.

Political-administrative organization

Map of the Marian Islands.

The total area of the islands is 464 km². Only 4 of the islands are inhabited according to the 2000 census.

Headquarters of local parliament

Political status and autonomy

In 1947, the Northern Mariana Islands became part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) after World War II. The United States became the administering authority for the TTPI under a trusteeship agreement. In 1976, Congress approved the Mutually Negotiated Compact to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America. The Compact was codified on March 24, 1976 as Public Law 94-241. The government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) adopted its own constitution in 1977, and the new government took office in January 1978. The implementation of the Compact, which entered into force on January 1, 1978, was completed on November 3, 1986, by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 5564, which brought into force the Compact with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Compacts of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Islands Marshall, which allowed the CNMI to be represented before the United States Government in Washington DC by a Resident Representative, elected by universal suffrage by CNMI voters and whose position was borne by the CNMI Government.

The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 ("CNRA"), passed by the US Congress on May 8, 2008, established one CNMI delegate seat; Democrat Gregorio Sablan was elected in November 2008 as the CNMI's first delegate and took office from him at the 111th Congress. Like the other five House delegates, the CNMI delegate participates in debates and votes in committees, but has no vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, and has no role in the US Senate. US, but is equal to a senator when serving on a conference committee.

On December 22, 1990, the United Nations Trusteeship Council terminated the TTPI as it applied to the CNMI and five other of the seven original TTPI districts (the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap)), which was recognized in United Nations Security Council Resolution 683 passed that same day.

Under the Compact, US federal law generally applies to the CNMI. However, the CNMI is outside the customs territory of the United States, and while the Internal Revenue Code is applied in the form of local income tax, the income tax system is largely determined locally. Under the Compact, federal minimum wage and federal immigration laws "shall not apply to the Northern Mariana Islands except in the manner and to the extent Congress makes them applicable by law after the termination of the Settlement Agreement. Trusteeship". Local control of the minimum wage was superseded by the United States Congress in 2007; it slowly rose until in 2015 it reached parity with all 50 states.

American Marines in Tinián

Initially, under the Covenant there was a separate immigration system at the CNMI, and US immigration laws did not apply. After reports of abusive practices for immigrant workers came to light, on November 28, 2009, the CNRA unilaterally amended the Compact to bring it into line with US law; specifically, section 702(a) of the CNRA amended the Covenant to establish that "the provisions of the 'immigration laws' (as defined in section 101(a)(17) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(17))) shall apply to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands"., under section 702(a) of the CNRA, "immigration laws", as well as amendments to the Compact, "shall supersede and supersede all related Commonwealth laws, regulations or programs with the admission of aliens and the removal of aliens from the Commonwealth" The transition to US immigration laws began on November 28, 2009.

Defense

The Security and Defense of the Islands is in charge of the United States government, which is also in charge of the foreign relations of the territory. The commonwealth does not have its own military forces and there are several US military installations in the Archipelago. Sometimes some of the islands have been used for troop training, military exercises and even weapons tests, which has generated controversy, especially among environmental organizations. and social at the local level.

In 2013, the United States Naval Command submitted a proposal to obtain Pagan Island for a new group of live ammunition firing ranges and RTAs.

American troops download equipment and material from a Boeing 747-400 for the 2012 Forage Fury exercise in the Northern Mariana Islands

The proposal spawned an online community called Our Islands are Sacred, a Change.org petition, and rallies against it by the Sierra Club, Save Pagan Island, Roots Action, and Care2Make a Difference.

On April 3, 2015 (HST), the Department of Defense (DoD) released the long-awaited draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). According to Michael G. Hadfield, a professor of biology at the University of Hawaii in Manoa who led an insect study team at Pagan in 2010, 'Speaking as a biologist, it has some really unique things.... It's not a wasteland, as I think some people imagine because it has an active volcano. There are a lot of things worth conserving: a couple of endangered bird species and snail species, which I specialize in and which are about to go on the US endangered species list".

Jerome Aldan (died February 2017), mayor of the Northern Commonwealth Islands, which includes Pagan, told a New Zealand radio show that the description of the island as "uninhabited" by the US military was false. According to an article by James Cave for the Huffington Post, using Hadfield as a source:

"Over 50 Saipan families call Pagan their home island and have plans and desires to return home", The island is occupied by two people, who live in shacks and have a toilet with cistern and plumbing, electricity and a small ranch.

According to an article by Wyatt Olson for the Stars and Stripes military news network on April 17, 2015, "the [Northern Mariana Islands legislature] is considering a joint resolution calling on the governor to oppose military expansion on the 10-mile-long island.... In wording that hints at the hornet's nest the US may have stirred up with the proposal, the joint resolution asserts that "throughout the history of the Northern Mariana Islands, foreign powers and outside influences have made important decisions and dictated the course of development" of the region and that the US "is once again about to make some very important decisions regarding the military use of the Northern Islands."

Geography

Landscape of the island of Tinian

It is made up of a group of 14 islands: Saipan, Tinián, Rota, Aguiján, Medinilla Farallón, Anatahan, Sarigan, Guguan, Alamagan, Pagán, Agrihan, Asunción, Maug Islands and Pájaros Farallón. The only ones that are inhabited are Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Alamagan.

The southern islands are made of limestone, with terrace levels and coral reefs lining them. The northern islands are of volcanic origin, with active volcanoes at Anatahan, Pagan and Agrihan. The volcano at Agrihan is the highest at 965 m s. no. m..

Its total area is 464 km².

Climate

The islands have a seasonal tropical marine climate moderated by northeasterly trade winds. There is little seasonal temperature variation. The dry season runs from December to June, and the rainy season from July to November and can include typhoons. The Guinness Book of Records has cited Saipan as having the most stable temperature in the world.

Tinian is not only in the geographic tropics (15°00'N), but also in the climatic tropics, which means that the diurnal temperature variation is greater than the seasonal variation. The daytime maximums, which are usually reached between 12 and 16 hours on Tinian, are 28 °C from December to March, and 29 to 30 °C in other cases; at night it rarely goes below 25 °C throughout the year. The rainy season lasts from July to November. The climate is humid all year round, with more than 80% relative humidity. Due to the high humidity and the intense insolation, the subjective perception of the temperature is usually between 4 and 8 °C above the values measured throughout the year. The surface water temperature of the Pacific Ocean off Tinian is 27 to 29°C.

Lake Susupe on a rainy day

Tinian is under the influence of the NE trade wind throughout the year. In the European winter season, the trade wind approaches the island more from the NE, while in the European summer season, it approaches the island almost exactly from the E. The trade wind from the NE brings an average temperature of about 10 °C. The NE trades bring an average wind force of 3 to 4 Beaufort. However, if an Aleutian low forms thousands of kilometers away, the foothills can produce stronger winds for several days at a time.

The length of the day varies from 11.5 hours (December 21) to 13 hours at the summer solstice. The twilight phases in the morning and in the afternoon are shorter than in Central Europe due to the equatorial situation, since the sun can be almost vertical at noon and rises and sets with more inclination: 22 to 25 minutes in Tinian opposite at 32 to 45 minutes in European countries like Germany.

Precipitation

However, the effects of climate change are beginning to be felt on the islands. Rainfall is the primary source of all freshwater, making it essential for human communities and ecosystems. The rainfall regime in the Marianas region is closely linked to the monsoons of the eastern hemisphere and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). As a consequence, annual rainfall is highly variable. Rainfall records for the Mariana Islands contain significant gaps and are not representative of the islands' geography. Thus, rainfall data for the Mariana Islands are inadequate for climatic studies.

The closest station with sufficient data, and therefore considered the best available record relevant to the territory, is at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. Precipitation patterns are consistent between Saipan and Guam, which can be attributed to both locations reacting similarly to ENSO. Thus, the long-term rainfall record for Guam can be used to make inferences about the character of rainfall in the southern Mariana islands, including Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. At Andersen Air Force Base, the driest year on record was 1998, during a strong El Niño, when rainfall was more than 39 inches (1,000 mm) below normal. The wettest year was 1976, when the station recorded more than 49 inches (1,250 mm) of precipitation above normal.

Squirrel fish (Myripristis kuntee) in the Northern Mariana Islands

Annual rainfall totals at Saipan Airport between 1989 and 2020 show little change on average over 30 years and high inter-annual variability. This is consistent with the annual rainfall at Andersen Air Force Base (an indicator of rainfall on the islands), which is close to the long-term normal and shows no statistically significant change from the 1950s to the present. Global climate models project a 10-20% increase in mean annual precipitation for the Pacific area, including the Mariana Islands, by the end of the 21st century in the high scenario compared to 1986-2005.

In the low scenario, future changes in annual precipitation are projected to range from no change to a mean increase of 10% by the end of the century. However, it should be noted that a subset of models reduced to the low Islands for Guam project a mean decrease in annual precipitation (7% overall) in the upper scenario by the end of this century relative to 1990-2009. Projections for Guam indicate a reduction in wet season precipitation (July to December), while a slight increase in rainfall is expected in the dry season (January to June). The frequency of extreme rainfall at Saipan Airport and Andersen Air Base has changed little on average throughout the length of the records (since 1989 and the 1950s, respectively). The variability of the monsoon and other factors mean that precipitation is much higher in some years than in others. In the future, the Mariana region is expected to experience more frequent and intense extreme precipitation events with global warming. Increased intense precipitation will result in increased rune and increased potential for flooding and erosion.

Flora and Fauna

Saipan's flora is predominantly limestone forest. Some built-up areas of the island are covered in Leucaena leucocephala, also known as 'tangan-tangan' trees, which became widespread sometime after World War II.

Tangan-tangans were introduced mainly as a mechanism to prevent erosion, due to the destruction of the landscape caused by World War II. The remaining native forest occurs in small isolated patches on steep, low-lying slopes and in conservation areas of the island's highlands. Coconuts, papayas and Thai hot peppers - locally called "donni' såli" or "boonie peppers"- are some of the fruits that grow wild. Mangoes, taro root, breadfruit (locally called "lemai") and bananas are some of the many foods grown by local families and farmers.

La Paloma Perdiz de las Marianas (Pampusana xanthonura)

Saipan is home to many endemic bird species. Among them: the Mariana fruit dove, white-throated ground dove, flanged white-eye, golden white-eye, myzomela micronesia, and the endangered Saipan warbler.

The island of Saipan used to have a large population of giant African land snails, introduced deliberately as a food source or accidentally by shipping, which became an agricultural pest. In recent decades, their numbers have been controlled substantially thanks to an introduced flatworm, Platydemus manokwari.

There is a great variety of flora and fauna in Tinián; The Tinian monarch is the only endemic bird species to the island and is threatened by loss of its natural habitat. BirdLife International has recognized the island as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it is home to populations of Micronesian megapodes, white-throated ground doves, Mariana fruit doves, Micronesian myzomelas, tailed birds Rufous fan, Saipan white-eyed, and Micronesian starlings.

In the early 1980s, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) declared Guguan a nature reserve. It has never been inhabited by man and is free of feral species such as camels, cats, chickens, dogs, donkeys, goats, horses, mice, pigeons, pigs, rabbits and rats. Among the wildlife is the rare Micronesian megapodus Megapodius laperouse, found only in the Northern Marianas and Palau Islands.

Volcanic Activity

Anatahan Island is elliptical in shape, 9 km long, 4 km wide, and 33.9 square kilometers in area. The island is the top of a stratovolcano that reaches an altitude of 790 m above sea level. at its highest point.

Anatahan Volcano Eruption in 2003

The volcano is crowned by a caldera 2.3 km wide, which is divided into an eastern and a western part, the eastern part being about 250 m lower than the western part. The paucity of vegetation on the most recent Anatahan lava flows indicated that they were from the Holocene. In April 1990, the inhabitants of the west coast of the island were evacuated after seismic swarms and active vents indicated that an eruption might be imminent, but no eruption occurred at the time. In May 1992 another seismic swarm occurred. The first historic eruption of Anatahan took place in May 2003, when a large explosive eruption with a VEI of 4 occurred, which formed a new crater inside the eastern caldera and caused a 12 km high ash column that made it difficult to air traffic to Saipan and Guam.

The most recent eruption occurred in 2007 and lasted until 2008.

Sarigan is roughly triangular in shape, with a length of 2.7 km, a width of 2.5 km, and an area of 4.5 square kilometers. The island is the top of a stratovolcano rising to 494 m above sea level at its highest peak. The volcano is crowned by a caldera 750 meters in diameter, with a cinder cone and two lava domes, which produced lava flows that reached the coast. No eruptions have been recorded in the historical period, although a swarm of volcano-tectonic earthquakes occurred here in the summer of 2005.

On May 28, 2010, an underwater volcano 11 km to the south erupted with a brief cloud of steam and ash that briefly rose to 15,000 m and left a trail of pumice debris on the surface of the water. Following the eruption, the government of the Northern Mariana Islands declared Sarigan a no-go zone.

View of Alamagan Island (Conception)

The Zealandia Bank (originally the Piedras de Torres or Farallon de Torres) is the exposed part of the peak of an eroded underwater volcano. In 2004, a NOAA study discovered active vents, including possible volcanic activity.

Guguan is roughly circular in shape, 2.8 km long, 2.3 km wide and 3.87 square kilometers in area. The island is made up of two stratovolcanoes: the southern one is 287 m high on the level of the sea, and the one of the north, of 263 m. The only recorded eruption occurred around 1883, at the northern peak, and produced pyroclastic and lava flows that reached the coast. The coast is fringed by rugged basalt rocks with gables of high ridges containing deep, rain-eroded gorges.

Alamagán called Concepción by the Spanish has a roughly elliptical shape, with a length of 4.8 km, a width of 4 km, and an area of 13 square kilometers. The entire island is the top of a stratovolcano that rises more than 4,000 meters from the ocean floor, to an altitude of 744 m above sea level at Bandeera Peak, in the extreme north-west. The volcano is crowned by a caldera 700-900 meters in diameter and about 370 m deep. There are three smaller cones to the north, northwest, and south of the main crater. The volcano has not erupted in historical times, but according to radiocarbon dating, eruptions occurred in AD 540. C. and 870 d. C., with a possible dating error of about 100 years. These eruptions involved pyroclastic flows and had a VEI of 4. Any claims of historical eruptions are inaccurate, although uncertain eruptions have occurred as late as 1887. Within the main crater and on the western slopes are a number of active vents.

Natural Arc on Pagan Island

On May 15, 1981, Mount Pagan erupted, with lava flows covering much of the island's arable land and part of the airfield runway; the island's inhabitants were evacuated to Saipan. The eruption continued until 1985, with other small outbreaks in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2021. Repeated requests by the islanders to return have been rejected by US authorities due to continued threat posed by the volcano. The Northern Isles Mayor's Office and concerned citizens are making efforts to assist the approximately 300 displaced Northern Isles residents who want to return and resettle in Anatahan, Alamagan, Pagan and Agrigan.

Pagan is a double island made up of two stratovolcanoes joined by a narrow strip of land only 600 meters wide. The southern volcano, 18.075°N 145.725°E, is 548 m high and has a caldera about 4 km in diameter, made up of four joined craters. Although several fumaroles were active in 1992, the southern volcano last erupted in 1864. The northern volcano, also known as Monte Pagán, 18.13°N 145.8°E, has an elevation of 570 m (1,870 ft). The volcano is located in the center of a caldera with an approximate diameter of 6 km, and eruptions have been documented in the years 1820, 1872-1873, 1925 and 1981-85.

Economy

The Northern Mariana Islands receive development assistance benefits from the United States government. The economy's main source of income is tourism, mainly with tourists from Japan. The textile industry has been declining, as well as tourism has been declining since 2005. At the end of 2006, the arrival of tourists fell by 15.23% (about 73,000 visitors) compared to the previous eleven months.

DFS Galleria, one of the shopping centers of Saipán

The Northern Mariana Islands has successfully taken advantage of its free trade zone status with the US, while not being subject to US labor laws. This means that minimum wages are lower than in the US and that other protections for workers are weaker, so they have lower production costs. In addition, a different regime of immigration has caused a large number of Chinese immigrants to come for the textile industry of the islands.

However, the imposition of World Trade Organization restrictions on Chinese imports into the US has caused some factories to close.

A law signed by President Bush on May 25, 2007 causes the minimum wage to gradually increase in the Mariana Islands, allowing it to reach the level of the United States in 2015. The first step was to increase it to 3.75 dollars, thereafter it would increase by $0.50 per year. As of September 30, 2010, the minimum wage is $5.05.

On the other hand, because they do not have the same laws as the United States, there have been many exploitations, among them are child labor, child prostitution and forced abortions.

Agricultural production, mainly cattle, coconut, breadfruit, tomatoes and melons, is of minor importance.

Infrastructure

Bank of Saipán

The islands have more than 350 km of highways, three airports with paved runways (one about 3,000 m long; two about 2,000 m), three airports with unpaved runways, and a heliport. The main commercial airport is Saipan International Airport.

Mail service for the islands is provided by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Each major island has its own ZIP code in the range of 96950-96952, and the USPS two-letter abbreviation for CNMI is MP. For telephone service, the islands are included in the North American Numbering Plan, using area code 670.

The television service is provided by KPPI-LP, Channel 7, which simulcasts Guam's ABC affiliate KTGM, as well as WSZE, Channel 10, which simulcasts Guam's NBC affiliate, KUAM-TV. About 10 radio stations broadcast within the islands.

In 2012, Michael Calabrese, Daniel Calarco, and Colin Richardson of Slate stated that CNMI Internet prices were five times what they were in Guam, and that the price per megabit increased if a customer chose an Internet package of higher level due to limited bandwidth.

Labor disputes

Marianas Business Plaza a Office Building

The Northern Mariana Islands had successfully taken advantage of its position as a free trade zone with the United States, while not being subject to the same labor laws. For example, the commonwealth's $3.05-per-hour minimum wage, which lasted from 1997 to 2007, was lower than in the United States, and some other worker protections are weaker, translating into lower labor costs. production. This allowed the garments to be labeled as "Made in USA" (made in the USA) without having to comply with all US employment laws. However, the U.S. minimum wage law, signed into law by President George W. Bush on May 25, 2007, led to stepped increases in the Northern Marianas minimum wage, allowing it to reach the U.S. level in 2015. The first step (up to $3.55) took effect on July 25, 2007, and thereafter an annual increase of $0.50 will take effect every May until the islands' minimum wage is equal to the national minimum wage. However, a law signed by President Obama in December 2009 delayed the annual increase from May to September. In 2018, the minimum wage finally reached $7.25, equaling the US federal minimum wage.

The island's exemption from US labor laws had led to many alleged exploitations, including recent allegations of sweatshops, child labor, child prostitution, and forced abortions.

An immigration system largely outside US federal control (which ended on November 28, 2009) resulted in large numbers of Chinese immigrant workers (about 15,000 during the busiest years) employed in the garment trade of the islands However, the lifting of restrictions imposed by the World Trade Organization on Chinese imports to the US in 2005 has put commonwealth-based trade under severe pressure, leading to the closure of several factories recently. Added to scheduled wage increases imposed by the United States, the garment industry died out in 2009.

Entrance to a Fabrica de Ropa with Chinese characters in Saipan

Textile industry

Garment production was an industry that employed 12,000 workers, mostly Chinese, and shipped $1 billion worth of shipments to the United States in 1998, with exemptions from tariffs and quotas. This production was highly controversial because items produced in the Northern Marianas may be labeled "Made in the U.S.A.", even though not all US labor laws apply to the commonwealth, giving rise to what that critics dismiss as "exploitative conditions" for the mostly Asian imported workers. Among other businesses, teen clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch has produced some of his clothing in the Northern Marianas and sold it at high prices.

However, the garment industry is changing, and many of the garment factories are closing due to the lifting of WTO trade restrictions on Chinese imports. The industry was initially established in the Commonwealth because some US employment and immigration laws do not apply to the islands; For example, the local minimum wage of $6.05 per hour (for most jobs) is lower than the federal minimum wage, which applies in most other areas of the United States. In addition, the islands retain local control over customs and immigration enforcement, unlike Guam.

In the late 1990s, several large US garment companies, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Sears, came under fire for making clothing under sweatshop conditions on Saipan. In March 2000, several defendants settled a class action lawsuit brought by Saipan garment workers who had alleged mistreatment. As part of the settlement, which did not involve an admission of infringement, Tommy Hilfiger and other companies agreed to independent supervision of their manufacture on Saipan, a condition rejected by other defendants such as Lane Bryant and J.C. Penney.

Tourists arriving at Mañagaha Island, Northern Mariana Islands

In 2004, in response to a long and costly class action lawsuit brought by garment workers against several garment manufacturers, a Garment Oversight Board was created to protect workers' rights. These actions have apparently led to an improvement in conditions since the beginning of the 21st century.

Tourism

While Saipan, the largest neighboring island to the north, can seem quite lively, Tinian has remained a quiet island. Tinian is developed for tourism in the sense that there are international level hotels. However, as there are no means of public transportation such as buses or trains (except school buses), tourists depend on the service provided by hotels. They range from chauffeur service, at the largest "Dynasty" hotel, to "no service" in smaller hotels. So it's no surprise that Tinian can only be explored by (rental) car, on foot or by jet ski. In Tinian there are two gas stations, car rental and the aforementioned casino (integrated into the "Dynasty" hotel), which is located near the Taga beach along with some shops and restaurants. The tourist center, however, is San José, located a little north of Taga beach, with a few smaller hotels, restaurants and bars. The natural attractions of the island, apart from the beaches, are the "Blowhole", in the northeast of the island, and the 171-meter-high Mount Lasso.

Transportation

Saipán International Airport.

Saipan has no public transportation services, with the exception of taxis. These have a meter. The islands are connected to each other by sea.

Probably the best way to get around is to rent a vehicle. You will find offices of the main rental companies.

Saipan Airport

Saipan Airport is located 12 kilometers from Garapán. The Marianas can be reached from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Hong Kong, or from destinations served by Pacific Island Aviation. There are also two other airports in Tinián and Rota, the first one has a paved runway of 2000 meters and the second one is not paved.

Demographics

Evolution of the population of the Northern Mariana Islands in thousands of inhabitants (1960-2005).

According to the 2010 census data, the population of the Northern Mariana Islands is 52,883, compared to 69,221 in the 2000 census, a 22.2% decline. The decline is due to many factors One of them is the disappearance of the textile industry (whose vast majority of employees were women from China), other factors are the economic crisis and the decline in tourism, one of the primary sources of income.

According to the 2006 CIA World Factbook, the Northern Mariana Islands have the lowest masculinity ratio – the number of men for every woman – on record, at 0.77 men for each woman, and 0.7 in the age range from 15 to 65 years.

Ethnography

According to the 2000 census, and following the American classification, the population is made up of

• Asian: 56.3 %
• Pacific Islanders: 36.3 %
• Caucasians: 1.8%
• mestizo: 4.8 %
• 0.8 %

Languages

Cathedral of Our Lady of Carmen, Saipán, Northern Mariana Islands

English is spoken by 10.8% of the population, which is also the language of government, education and the media and serves as the lingua franca and was brought to the islands by the Americans, while the languages of the Filipino group are spoken by 24.4%, Chinese by 23.4%, Chamorro by 22.4%, other Pacific languages by 9.5% and others by 9, 6% (2000 census). In the Catholic mission of Saipan, among the Mercedarian missionaries, considered an institution in the country, a minority also speaks Spanish.

Religion

The vast majority of the population of the Northern Mariana Islands professes the Christian religion in its Catholic form, this is a legacy of Spanish colonization but also a product of contact with the neighboring Philippines. Saipan is organized into ten parishes: Mount Carmel Cathedral, Santa Soledad, Saint Jude Thaddeus, Santa Remedios, San Antonio, San José, Kristo Rai, San Roque, San Vicente, and Korean Catholic Church. Tinian in one: San José and Rota in two: San Isidro and San Francisco de Borja.

Subsequently, Protestant missionaries from the United States and Buddhists from various parts of Asia arrived, the local traditional religions disappeared almost entirely after the arrival of the Spanish.

Many people in the Northern Mariana Islands are either Catholic or still hold some traditional beliefs. According to the Pew Research Center, for 2010 religious denominations are distributed as follows:

• Catholic Church, 64.1 %
• Protestant groups, 16 %
• Buddhists, 10.6 %
• 

  Church of Christ the King in Garapán
  Popular religions, 5.3 %
• Other Christians, 1.2 %
• Other religions, 1.1 %
• Not affiliated, 1.0 %
• Eastern Orthodox, ≤ %
• Hindus, 1 %
• Muslims, 1 %
• Jews, 2%

Culture

Much of the Chamorro culture in the Mariana Islands was heavily influenced by the Spanish during the colonial era, as well as by the Germans and Japanese. Respect is an important part of Chamorro culture, and a common display is the "manngingi'" tradition. This tradition has been around for centuries and involves an old Chamorro and a young man. The boy takes the old man's hand, places it on his nose and says ñot to the men and ñora to the women, with the old men responding “diosti ayudi”, which means "God help you."

People of the Chamorro People

Carolina culture is very similar to Chamorro culture, respect being very important. Caroline culture dates back to Yap and Chuuk, where the Carolinos originated.

Kitchen

Much of Chamorro cuisine is influenced by various foreign peoples. Examples of popular foods of foreign origin include various types of sweet or savory empanada, originally introduced from Spain, and pancit, a noodle dish from the Philippines.

Archaeological evidence reveals that rice has been cultivated in the Marianas since prehistoric times. Red rice made with achoti is a distinct staple that strongly distinguishes Chamorro cuisine from that of other Pacific islands. It is often served for special events, such as parties (gupot or "fiestas"), novenas, and high school or college graduations. Fruits such as lemmai (breadfruit), mangga (mangoes), niyok (coconuts), and bilimbinas (bilimbi, a fruit related to star fruit) are included in several local recipes. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and American cuisine are also common.

Local specialties include kelaguen, a dish in which meat is cooked in whole or in part by citric acid rather than heat; tinaktak, a meat dish made with coconut milk; and the kå'du fanihi (flying fox/bat fruit soup). Fruit bats have become scarce in modern times on several islands, mainly due to overexploitation of the species and loss of habitat; hunting these bats is now illegal, although poaching is still practiced.

The Marianas and the Hawaiian Islands are the world's largest consumers, per capita, of Spam canned meat, with Guam in first place, and Hawaii in second place (details regarding the rest of the Marianas are often absent from the statistics). Spam canned meat was introduced to the islands by the US military as war rations during the World War II era.

In Literature and the Media

Saipan was an important part of the plot of Tom Clancy's novel Debt of Honor.

The 1960 film Hell to Eternity tells the true story of Private Guy Gabaldon's role in convincing 800 Japanese soldiers to surrender during the Battle of Saipan in World War II. The key to Gabaldon's success was his ability to speak Japanese fluently since he was raised in the 1930s by a Japanese-American foster family.

Much of the action in the 2002 film Windtalkers takes place during the invasion of Saipan in World War II.

In 2011, a Japanese film about Captain Sakae Ōba took place in Saipan. Entitled Oba: The Last Samurai, it revolved around Oba holding out on Saipan until December 1, 1945.

A significant portion of Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto's novel Amrita takes place on Saipan, with regular references to the island's landscape and spirituality.

Saipan is the setting for P. F. Kluge's novel The Master Blaster. This novel is structured as first-person narratives of five characters, four of whom arrive on the same flight, and the unfolding of their experiences in the Mariana Islands. The book weaves a mysterious historical fiction tale with references to Saipan's multi-ethnic past, from Japanese colonization to the American victory in World War II and the island's post-Cold War evolution. The Master Blaster is the homegrown anonymous critic who blogs about corruption and exploitation by developers, politicians and government officials.

Saipan is known in the soccer world for being the venue for the Republic of Ireland national soccer team's pre-2002 FIFA World Cup rally, at which a heated argument ensued between the then captain, Roy Keane, and the then coach, Mick McCarthy, which ended up causing Keane's dismissal and departure from the team. This incident has become known colloquially as "the Saipan incident" or "the saga of Saipan".

In 2016, a horror film directed by Hiroshi Katagiri titled Gehenna: Where Death Lives was released on Netflix in which American real estate developers encounter a supernatural entity in a hidden World War II bunker while searching for land to build your resort.

Northern Mariana Islands Holidays

Official holidays are:

Sports

Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field

Unlike Puerto Rico, the other commonwealth of the United States, the Northern Mariana Islands have never participated in the Olympic Games. Team sports popular in the United States were introduced to the Northern Mariana Islands by American soldiers during World War II. Baseball is the most popular sport on the islands. Teams from the islands have made appearances in the Little League World Series (in the Little, Junior, Senior, and Major League divisions), as well as winning gold medals at the Micronesian Games and the South Pacific Games.

Basketball and mixed martial arts are also popular on the islands, which hosted the 2009 Oceania Basketball Tournament. Trench Wars is the islands' brand of mixed martial arts. Fighters from the territory have competed in the Pacific Xtreme Combat, as well as in the UFC.

Other sports in the region include Ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, tennis, soccer, outrigger sailing, softball, beach volleyball, rugby, golf, boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo, track and field, swimming, triathlon and American football.

• North Mariana Islands Soccer Selection
• Northern Mariana Championship