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Northern Mariana Islands

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Oceania
(Australasia)

   Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
   Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas

   Flag of Northern Mariana Islands Seal of Northern Mariana Islands
   Flag                             Seal
   Anthem: Gi Talo Gi Halom Tase  ( Chamorro)
   Satil Matawal Pacifico  ( Carolinian)
   Location of Northern Mariana Islands
   Capital Saipan
   Official languages English, Chamorro, Carolinian
   Government Presidential representative democracy
    - Head of State George W. Bush
    - Governor Benigno R. Fitial
    - Lt. Governor Timothy P. Villagomez
    - Resident
      Representative
   Pedro Agulto Tenorio
   Commonwealth in union with United States
    - Covenant 1975
   Area
    - Total 477 km² ( 195th)
   181 sq mi
    - Water (%) negligible
   Population
    - July 2005 estimate 80,801 ( 198th)
    - Density 168/km² ( n/a)
   63.8/sq mi
   Currency United States dollar ( USD)
   Time zone ( UTC+10)
   Internet TLD .mp
   Calling code +1 670

   The Northern Mariana Islands, officially 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
   western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters
   of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines, at 15°1′2″N, 145°4′5″E. It
   has a population of 80,362 (( 2005 estimate). The official 2000 census
   count was 69,221 . The United States Census Bureau reports the total
   land area of all islands as 463.63 km (179.01 sq mi).

Geography and climate

   Wikimedia Atlas of the Northern Mariana Islands . The Northern Mariana
   Islands, together with Guam to the south, comprise the Mariana Islands.

   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. 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.

   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 on May 10, 2003 at about
   5:00 p.m. (17:00h). Since then it has continued to alternate between
   eruptive and calm periods. On April 6, 2005, approximately 50,000 cubic
   meters of ash and rock were ejected, causing a large, black cloud to
   drift southward over Saipan and Tinian. Recent eruptions have caused
   some commercial flights to re-route.

   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, and the rainy season from
   July to October can include typhoons. The Guinness Book of World
   Records has cited Saipan as having the most equable temperature in the
   world.

History

   The first European in these waters was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who
   landed on nearby Guam and claimed the islands for Spain. After being
   met offshore and accepting the refreshments offered to them by the
   native Chamorros, the latter then in exchange helped themselves to a
   small boat belonging to Magellan's fleet. This was a clash of Cultures
   because in the old Chamorro culture there was little if any private
   property and to take something that one needed such as a boat to fish
   with was not a crime and not thievery in their eyes. (The Catholic
   Church has done much to change this but today some young Chomorros
   grieving over the cultural heritage that they have lost sometimes try
   to resurrect inappropriate aspects of their culture in a modern world
   and have come in conflict with the Law over this on the Islands) Due to
   this cultural misunderstanding, over half a dozen locals were killed
   and a village of 40 homes burned before the boat was retrieved, and the
   archipelago subsequently acquired the ignominious name Islas de los
   Ladrones ("Islands of the Thieves"). Three days after he had arrived,
   Magellan fled the archipelago under attack--a portentous beginning to
   its relationship with the Spanish. The islands were henceforth
   considered by Spain to be annexed and therefore under their governance,
   from the Philippines, as part of the Spanish East Indies. The Spanish
   built a Royal Palace in Guam for the Govenor of the Islands (it's
   remains can still be seen in 2006). Guam was an important stop over
   from Mexico for galleons carrying Gold and other goods to and the
   Philippines and to Spain. There are several unfound sunken Spanish
   galleons off Guam. In 1668 their name was changed by Padre Diego Luis
   de Sanvitores to Las Marianas after Mariana of Austria, widow of
   Spain's Philip IV. Nearly all of the islands' native population
   (90%-95%) died out under Spanish rule, but new settlers, primarily from
   the Philippines and the Caroline Islands, were brought in to repopulate
   them. Despite this, the Chamorro population did gradually resurge, and
   Chamorro, Filipino and Carolinian language and ethnic differences
   remain basically distinct in the Marianas to this day.

   The Marianas came under German contol for a brief period when Spain
   sold them to Germany, exclusive of Guam. In 1919 the Japanese invaded
   and occupied these islands and the League of Nations, pre-cursor of the
   United Nations, awarded them to Japan by Mandate. The Japanese used the
   Islands as a military outpost. They did not treat the native population
   well.

   The Japanese captured Guam in World War II and Japanese Government of
   the Islands moved to Guam. As stated before, the Japanese did not treat
   the natives and others well who lived there. They were close supporters
   and allies, in this period of the Nazi Government of Germany, as such
   they believed themselves to be a superior race---until they found out
   that Orientals were at the bottom of the inferior race heap of the
   Nazis. The Japanese tortured and killed for the fun of it residents of
   Guam and the Northern Marianas. This lead to certain Chamorros giving
   them information about Chamorros on Guam and counter. The impact of
   this is that the Chamorros of Guam and Saipan bear a grudges against
   each other, even after some seventy years, as traitors and as the
   result both are territories instead of the States that they could be.
   Many people still hate the Japanese although Japanese tourists are a
   major contributor to the economy of Saipan and Guam.

   In 1943; the United States Marines invaded Guam at great cost of lives.
   From the sea the Japanese fortresses (even today 2006 (they have been
   preserved) ) are not obvious. The Marines were mowed down as they came
   in by Japanese Gunfire. The Marines were successful and also took over
   Saipan and Islands further Northern Islands. The Japanese Commander
   wrote a letter to Emperor Hirohito apologizing for the lost of the
   islands and then committed hara-kiri.

   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. That would have been the end of War in the Marianas except that
   Guam and Saipan provided the take off point for the bombing of
   Hiroshima. When the Armistice was signed the War was over---well for
   most people. In 1990, a Japanese Soldier apparently did not get the
   message and had been hiding out in Guam since WWII. He was the last
   soldier on active military duty of WWII left in the Islands and his
   family thought that he had been killed in action.

   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.

Politics

   Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands takes place in a framework of
   a presidential representative democratic system, whereby the Governor
   is head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. The
   Northern Mariana Islands are a commonwealth in political union with the
   United States. Federal funds to the Commonwealth are administered by
   the Office of Insular Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
   Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is
   vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament. The
   Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

   The Northern Mariana Islands have also come into the news recently due
   to their connection to the scandals involving Jack Abramoff and
   allegedly former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay . As a direct result
   of lobbying by Abramoff and associates, the Northern Mariana Islands
   received special federal subsidies. As well, Congressman Bob Ney
   allegedly received free trips to the Northern Mariana Islands from
   Abramoff, in violation of federal law.

   The Northern Marianas Islands are also the site of another controversy
   involving Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), Jack Abramoff, and Rep. Richard
   Pombo (R-CA) and the alleged links to the Saipan Garment Manufacturers
   Association and the Northern Mariana Islands, role in stopping
   legislation aimed at cracking down on sweatshops and sex shops” on the
   islands in 2001.

   The Northern Marianas Islands allegedly harbour the most abusive labor
   practices of anywhere in the United States. According to the
   progressive think tank American Progress Action Fund, "Human 'brokers'
   bring thousands there to work as sex slaves and in cramped sweatshop
   garment factories where clothes (complete with 'Made in U.S.A.' tag)
   have been produced for all the major brands."

Political status

   In 1947, the Northern Mariana Islands became part of the post-World War
   II United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). The
   United States became the TTPI's administering authority under the terms
   of a trusteeship agreement. In 1976, Congress approved the mutually
   negotiated Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
   Islands (CNMI) in Political Union with the United States. The CNMI
   Government adopted its own constitution in 1977, and the constitutional
   government took office in January 1978. The Covenant was fully
   implemented on November 3, 1986, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation
   no. 5564, which conferred United States citizenship on legally
   qualified CNMI residents.

   On December 22, 1990, the Security Council of the United Nations
   terminated the TTPI as it applied to the CNMI and five other [the
   Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae,
   Pohnpei and Yap)] of the TTPI's original seven districts.

   Under the Covenant, in general, Federal law applies to CNMI. However,
   the CNMI is outside the customs territory of the United States and,
   although the internal revenue code does apply in the form of a local
   income tax, the income tax system is largely locally determined.
   According to the Covenant, the federal minimum wage and federal
   immigration laws "will not apply to the Northern Mariana Islands except
   in the manner and to the extent made applicable to them by the Congress
   by law after termination of the Trusteeship Agreement"

   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.

Economy

   The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands benefits from
   substantial subsidies and development assistance from the federal
   government of the United States. The economy also relies heavily on
   tourism, especially, from Japan, and the rapidly dwindling garment
   manufacturing sector. The tourism industry is also dwindling. Since
   late 2006, tourist arrivals fell 15.23 percent (73,000 potential
   visitors) from the eleven months prior.

   The Northern Mariana Islands has successfully used its position as a
   free trade area with the U.S., while at the same time not being subject
   to the same labor laws. For example, the $3.05 per hour minimum wage in
   the Commonwealth is lower than in the U.S. and some other worker
   protections are weaker leading to lower production costs. This allows
   garments to be labelled "Made in USA" without having to comply with all
   U.S. labor laws.

   In the extreme, the island's exemption from U.S. labor laws have led to
   many alleged exploitations including recent claims of the existence of
   sweatshops, child labor, child prostitution and even forced abortions.

   A separate immigration system outside of federal U.S. control has
   resulted in a large number of Chinese migrant workers employed in the
   Islands' garment trade. However, the lifting of World Trade
   Organisation restrictions on Chinese imports to the US has put the
   Commonwealth-based trade under severe pressure, leading to a number of
   recent factory closures.

   Agricultural production, primarily of tapioca, cattle, coconuts,
   breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons exists, but is of relatively minor
   economic importance.

Exemptions from some Federal regulations

   Although the CNMI is part of the United States, several GOP members of
   Congress have fought hard to keep regulation out of the CNMI,
   preserving it as a more pure form of capitalism, without labor
   regulation. In 1998, Republican Congressman Tom Delay called the CNMI a
   "perfect Petri dish of capitalism." And two years later, in addressing
   the Governor of the Islands, Delay famously said:

     "You are a shining light for what is happening in the Republican
     Party, and you represent everything that is good about what we’re
     trying to do in America in leading the world in the free-market
     system."

   However, the lack of labor regulation is not without controversy. The
   inapplicability of Federal labor regulations has resulted in some
   extreme labor practices, not common elsewhere in the United States.
   Some of these labor practices include forcing workers to have
   abortions, as exposed in the March 18, 1998 episode of ABC News' 20/20,
   and enslaving women and forcing them into prostitution, as the U.S.
   Department of Justice conviction of several CNMI traffickers in 1999
   attests. In 2005- 2006, the issue of these regulatory exemptions in the
   CNMI was brought up during the American political scandals of
   Congressman Tom DeLay and lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Transportation

   Current Northern Mariana Islands license plate.
   Enlarge
   Current Northern Mariana Islands license plate.

   The islands have over 350 kilometers of highways, three airports with
   paved runways (one some 3000 meters (9840 feet) long; two around 2000
   meters (6560 feet), three airports with unpaved runways (one about 3000
   meters long; two under 1000 meters (3280 feet)), and one heliport.

Islands, island groups and municipalities

   The islands total 463.63 square kilometers. An overview is presented
   next, with the individual islands from north to south:
   No. Island Area (km^2) Population
   Census 2000 Height (m) Highest Peak Location
   1 Farallon de Pajaros (Urracas) 2.55 0 319 20°33′N 144°54′E
   2 Maug Islands 2.13 occupied 1939-44 227 (North Island) 20°02′N
   145°19′E
   3 Asuncion 7.31 0 891 19°43′N 145°41′E
   4 Agrihan (Agrigan) 43.51 evacuated 1990 965 Mount Agrihan 18°46′N
   145°40′E
   5 Pagan 47.23 evacuated 1990 579 Mount Pagan 18°08′36″N, 145°47′39″E
   6 Alamagan 11.12 6 744 Banadera 17°35′N 145°50′E
   7 Guguan 3.87 0 301 17°20′N 145°51′E
   8 Sarigan 4.97 formerly inhab. 549 16°43′N 145°47′E
   9 Anatahan 31.21 evacuated 1990 787 16°22′N 145°40′E
   10 Farallon de Medinilla 0.85 0 81 16°01′N 146°04′E
   11 Saipan 115.39 62 392 474 Mount Tagpochau 15°11′06″N, 145°44′28″E
   12 Tinian 101.01 3 540 170 Kastiyu (Lasso Hill) 14°57′12″N, 145°38′54″E
   13 Aguijan (Agiguan) 7.09 0 157 14°42′N 145°18′E
   14 Rota 85.38 3 283 491 Mt. Manira 14°08′37″N, 145°11′08″E
   NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 463.63 69 221 965 Mount Agrihan 14°08' to
   20°33'N,
   144°54° to 146°04'E

   Administratively, the CNMI is divided into four municipalities:

   Islands 1 through 10 are collective known as the Northern Islands,
   together forming the Northern Islands Municipality. Islands 11 through
   14 are collectively known as the Southern Islands, with the
   municipalities Saipan, Tinian, and Rota (uninhabited Aguijan is part of
   Tinian municipality).

   Because of volcanic threat, the northern islands have been largely
   evacuated, with just six people remaining on Alamagan island (Census of
   2000), and with the Mayor of the Northern Islands Municipality residing
   in "exile" on Saipan.

   Saipan, Tinian, and Rota have the only ports and harbors, and are the
   only permanently populated islands.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mariana_Islands"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
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