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Geographical location: The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is 3 hours by air from Japan, 30 minutes by air from the island of Guam. The CNMI is a chain of 14 tropical islands in the Western Pacific Ocean, adjacent to the famed 'Marianas Trench,' which has the world's greatest known ocean depth of 10,900 meters. The Northern Marianas chain was formed by raised coral reef and volcanic eruptions. Each shoreline is almost completely encircled by rugged and rocky cliffs and a coral barrier reef creating a beautiful lagoon with large white sand beaches. Inland of the islands still posses' uninhabited jungle with tropical flora and fauna, which is preserved. Lime grottos are found around the islands. Most of the islands are actually the tips of partially submerged volcanoes and some islands north of the CNMI are still active. There are three major inhabited islands in the CNMI: Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
History: The Ancient Chamorros living on Saipan encountered their first recorded European visitor in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator who was circumnavigating the globe for the Spanish crown, came ashore. The Marianas Archipelago was claimed for Spain and initially named 'Islas de Las Velas Latinas' (Islands of the Lateen Sails) because of the agility with which the Ancient Chamorros sailed their canoes out into open waters to greet the Spanish ships. Later named 'Islas de Los Ladrones' (Islands of Thieves) after an incident wherein the islanders were considered to have stolen iron from the ships, the archipelago was officially named after Queen Maria Ana of Austria, wife of Spain's Philip IV. To this day, the archipelago's name reflects the impact with which Spain's monarchy ruled the New World and her Pacific possessions.
The Mariana Islands did not see the arrival of Spanish colonists, however, until 1668. Spain's reign over the islands continued until 1899 when the archipelago (along with Palau, the Carolines, including Kapingamarangi and Nukuoro, and two Marshall Islands atolls) was sold to Germany for U.S. $4.2 million. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 saw Germany pulling out of Micronesia, which left the control of the islands in Japan's hands. Thirty years of economic growth and geographic expansion were indicative of the Japanese period. The latter resulted in the involvement of the United States in World War II after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Battle for Saipan was one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theatre. A little over 5,000 U.S. troops died while Japan lost 66,000 soldiers in the Marianas Campaign. Hundreds of native Chamorros and Carolinians died in the conflict as well.
After World War II, the U.S. Department of the Navy was relegated the administrative authority over the Northern Mariana Islands. By 2 April 1947, the United Nations strategic Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was approved, as amended, by the UN Security Council. The governing authority for the Trust Territory, which included Palau, Truk/Chuuk, Ponape/Pohnpei, Yap, Marshalls, and the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), was the United States. President John F. Kennedy sought to bring the Trust Territory Islands into a more permanent affiliation with the U.S. Kennedy's assassination 22 November 1963 delayed such plans. It was not until 1976 that the native Chamorros and Carolinians were provided the opportunity to choose to become a commonwealth in political union with the United States of America. In 1978, the first CNMI governor took office as did the bi-cameral commonwealth legislature. In 1986, the native Chamorros and Carolinians of the NMI were granted U.S. citizenship.
Climate: The Northern Mariana Islands enjoy a tropical marine climate characterized by relative high and stable temperatures. Average year-round temperature is 27 degrees centigrade. The months of greatest humidity are from July through November and the rest of the year is mostly dry.
People: The native indigenous people of the Northern Mariana Islands are Chamorro and Carolinian. A diverse mixture of local Pacific Islanders and Asians (Chamorro-Spanish or Carolinian-Spanish) predominate. The CNMI is a small group of islands with about 70,000 inhabitants. Except for the indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian, the predominant nationalities in the CNMI are Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, and Chinese.
Language: The official language in the Mariana Islands is English, but the native indigenous people speak the Chamorro and Carolinian languages. The Chamorro language is combined linguistically with ancient Chamorro and influences from the Spanish and Japanese languages. Common language signboards of English and Japanese are found throughout the islands.
Culture: The Northern Mariana Islands exhibit a cultural matrix not unlike any other modern-day global community. The native gene pool has Spanish, German, Japanese, American, British, French, Irish, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Micronesian, and Polynesian extractions. Much of the ancient Chamorro culture was obliterated as a consequence of the arrival of the first Europeans. Disease, war, and the conversion to Catholicism greatly modified the culture. However, the Chamorro language and remnants of ancient traditions and customs, particularly with regard to the respect for the land and the ocean, are still practiced today. Homage to the spirit of the łTaotao Mo'na' (the spirit of the ancients) is given when hiking or hunting in the jungles or fishing within the reef and out in open waters.
The traditional culture of the NMI's Carolinian community remains more intact than its Chamorro counterpart. Traditional dances, music, weaving and craftwork, canoe building, and navigation continue to be an integral part of Carolinian life today.
The island culture reflects the admixture of the indigenous and native cultural traditions with Western influences. None is this more evident than in the blend of food, music, and festivities that mark the colorful qualities of the islands and the people.
Politics: As a Commonwealth in political union with the United States, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands function within a democratic system of government. The main island, Saipan, is the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. The members of the bi-cameral legislature are elected through a general election as are the governor and lieutenant governor. The CNMI also elects a non-voting representative to the U.S. Congress. Lower house members serve a two-year term while upper house members are elected to serve for four years. The governor and lieutenant governor also serve a four-year term. The municipal government on each of the senatorial districts (Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and the Northern Islands) is headed by a mayor.
Economy: The major source of revenue for the CNMI is from the tourism industry. The average number of visitors reaches 600,000 yearly and over seventy percent of all visitors coming to the Marianas are Japanese. Accordingly, the tourism economy of the CNMI is closely connected with the Japanese and Korean economic situations.
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