"text":"<p>The Northern Mariana Islands were settled by Austronesian people around 1500 B.C. These people became the indigenous Chamorro and were influenced by later migrations, including of Micronesians in the first century A.D., and island Southeast Asians around 900. Spanish explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN sailed through the Mariana Islands in 1521 and Spain claimed them in 1565. Spain formally colonized the Mariana Islands in 1668 and administered the archipelago from Guam. Spain’s brutal repression of the Chamorro, along with new diseases and intermittent warfare, reduced the indigenous population by about 90% in the 1700s. With a similar dynamic occurring on Guam, Spain forced the Chamorro from the Northern Mariana Islands to resettle on Guam and prevented them from returning to their home islands. By the time the Northern Mariana Islands’ Chamorro returned, many other Micronesians, including Chuukese and Yapese, had already settled on their islands.<br><br>In 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the US following the Spanish-American War but sold the Northern Mariana Islands to Germany under the German-Spanish Treaty of 1899. Germany administered the territory from German New Guinea but took a hands-off approach to day-to-day life. Following World War I, Japan administered the islands under a League of Nations mandate. Japan focused on sugar production and brought in thousands of Japanese laborers, who quickly outnumbered the Chamorro on the islands. During World War II, Japan invaded Guam from the Northern Mariana Islands and used Marianan Chamorro as translators with Guamanian Chamorro, creating friction between the two Chamorro communities that continues to this day. The US captured the Northern Mariana Islands in 1944 after the Battle of Saipan and administered them post-World War II as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI).<br><br>On four occasions in the 1950s and 1960s, voters opted for integration with Guam, although Guam rejected it in 1969. In 1978, the Northern Mariana Islands was granted self-government separate from the rest of the TTPI and in 1986, islanders were granted US citizenship and the territory came under US sovereignty as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). In 2009, the CNMI became the final US territory to elect a nonvoting delegate to the US Congress.</p>"
"text":"tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"the southern islands in this north-south trending archipelago are limestone, with fringing coral reefs; the northern islands are volcanic, with active volcanoes on several islands"
"text":"Asian 50% (includes Filipino 35.3%, Chinese 6.8%, Korean 4.2%, and other Asian 3.7%), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 34.9% (includes Chamorro 23.9%, Carolinian 4.6%, and other Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 6.4%), other 2.5%, two or more ethnicities or races 12.7% (2010 est.)"
"text":"Philippine languages 32.8%, Chamorro (official) 24.1%, English (official) 17%, other Pacific island languages 10.1% (includes Carolinian (official), Chinese 6.8%, other Asian languages 7.3%, other 1.9% (2010 est.)"
"text":"contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development"
},
"Climate":{
"text":"tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October"
"text":"a commonwealth in political union with and under the sovereignty of the US; republican form of government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches"
"text":"commonwealth in political union with and under the sovereignty of the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, Washington, DC"
"text":"the entire island of Saipan is organized as a single municipality and serves as the capital; according to legend, when the first native voyagers arrived in their outrigger canoes they found an uninhabited island; to them it was like an empty voyage, so they named the island <em>saay</em> meaning \"a voyage,\" and <em>peel</em> meaning \"empty\"; over time <em>Saaypeel</em> - \"island of the empty voyage\" - became Saipan"
"text":"none (commonwealth in political union with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 municipalities at the second order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian"
},
"Independence":{
"text":"none (commonwealth in political union with the US)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)"
},
"Constitution":{
"history":{
"text":"partially effective 9 January 1978 (Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands); fully effective 4 November 1986 (Covenant Agreement)"
},
"amendments":{
"text":"proposed by constitutional convention, by public petition, or by the Legislature; ratification of proposed amendments requires approval by voters at the next general election or special election; amendments proposed by constitutional convention or by petition become effective if approved by a majority of voters and at least two-thirds majority of voters in each of two senatorial districts; amendments proposed by the Legislature are effective if approved by majority vote; amended several times, last in 2012"
}
},
"Legal system":{
"text":"the laws of the US apply, except for customs and some aspects of taxation"
"text":"president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by an Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); under the US Constitution, residents of the Northern Mariana Islands do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican party presidential primary elections; governor directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; election last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held in 2026)"
"text":"Arnold PALACIOS elected governor in runoff election held 25 November 2022; percent of vote - Arnold PALACIOS (independent) elected 54%, Ralph TORRES (Republican) 46%; David APATANG (independent) elected lieutenant governor"
"text":"bicameral Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature consists of:<br>Senate (9 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)<br>House of Representatives (20 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 2-year terms)<br><br>the Northern Mariana Islands directly elects 1 delegate to the US House of Representatives by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term"
},
"elections":{
"text":"<br>CNMI Senate - last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held in November 2024)<br>CNMI House of Representatives - last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held in November 2022)<br>Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands delegate to the US House of Representatives - last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held in November 2022)"
"text":"<br>CNMI Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 6, independent 3; composition - men 7, women 2, percent of women 22.2%<br>CNMI House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 9, Democrat Party 8, independent 3; composition - men 15, women 5, percent of women 25%; note - overall CNMI legislature percent of women 24.1%<br><br>delegate to US House of Representatives - seat won by independent; composition - 1 man"
"note":"<strong id=\"tinymce\" class=\"mce-content-body \" style=\"font-size: 18px;\" contenteditable=\"true\" spellcheck=\"false\" data-id=\"field_notes\">note:</strong> the Northern Mariana Islands delegate to the US House of Representatives can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the \"Committee of the Whole House\" but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote"
"text":"Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) (consists of the chief justice and 2 associate justices); US Federal District Court (consists of 1 judge); note - US Federal District Court jurisdiction limited to US federal laws; appeals beyond the CNMI Supreme Court are referred to the US Supreme Court"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"CNMI Supreme Court judges appointed by the governor and confirmed by the CNMI Senate; judges appointed for 8-year terms and another term if directly elected in a popular election; US Federal District Court judges appointed by the US president and confirmed by the US Senate; judges appointed for renewable 10-year terms"
"text":"blue with a white, five-pointed star superimposed on a gray latte stone (the traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a wreath; blue symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, the star represents the Commonwealth; the latte stone and the floral head wreath display elements of the native Chamorro culture"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"latte stone; national colors: blue, white"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"Gi Talo Gi Halom Tasi\" (In the Middle of the Sea)"
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Jose S. PANGELINAN [Chamoru], David PETER [Carolinian]/Wilhelm GANZHORN"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> adopted 1996; the Carolinian version of the song is known as \"Satil Matawal Pacifico;\" as a commonwealth of the US, in addition to the local anthem, \"The Star-Spangled Banner\" is official (see United States)"
"text":"US Pacific island commonwealth economy; growing Chinese and Korean tourist destination; hit hard by 2018 typhoon; dependent on energy imports; exempt from some US labor and immigration laws; longstanding garment production"
"text":"digital fiber-optic cables and satellites connect the islands to worldwide networks; demand for broadband growing given that mobile services are the source for Internet across region; future launch of 5G (2020)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control"
