The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

An Overview

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The Northern Mariana Islands consist of 14 islands with a total land area of 183 square miles. They stretch across 226 miles of the Pacific Ocean, from Farallon de Pajaros in the north to Rota in the south. Saipan, the main island of the Northern Marianas, is located about 100 miles northeast of Guam, 1,200 miles southeast of Tokyo, and 3,300 miles west of Honolulu. The other main inhabited islands are Tinian and Rota. The Commonwealth has a total population of about 58,000, of which about 46 percent are local residents who are United States citizens. The remaining 56 percent of the population is composed primarily of non-citizen immigrant workers.

The Northern Marianas were sparsely inhabited when Ferdinand Magellan reached nearby Guam in 1521. In 1668, the Spanish named the islands after Maria Anna of Austria, widow of Spain's Philip IV. Spain ruled the Marianas until 1898, when the islands were sold to Germany after the Spanish-American War.

Japan took control of the islands during World War I and then became their administrator under a League of Nations mandate in 1920. World War II resulted in the Northern Marianas being placed under American military control, and after the War, the United Nations named the United States as the administrator of the Northern Marianas as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

In January 1978, the Northern Marianas approved a covenant that authorized the islands to become a self-governing Commonwealth of the United States. The agreement was ratified by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President in 1986. Under the covenant, the United States has full sovereignty over the Commonwealth of the North Mariana Islands, and its local residents are United States citizens. Unlike other U.S. insular areas, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands does not have representation in the U.S. Congress, but it does maintain an office in Washingtonn headed by an elected representative.

Like the Federal Government system, the Commonwealth Government has three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch includes a Governor and Lt. Governor who are elected by the people for 4-year terms. The legislative branch is a bicameral legislature with a Senate and a House of Representatives. The judicial system includes a Superior Court and a Supreme Court. The U.S. District Court also has jurisdiction over Federal matters in the Northern Marianas.

The economy of the Northern Marianas is service-oriented and heavily dependent on imports. While there is a growing and dynamic private sector, the Commonwealth Government is the largest single employer. Commercial activity in the islands has increased dramatically through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Tourism, mainly from Japan, Australia, and other Asian nations, has enjoyed double-digit annual growth since 1985. In 1995, more than 654,000 visitors spent about $522 million in the local economy. The economic growth, however, has resulted in extensive alien labor being brought into the Northern Marianas because of the relatively small local population.

The Commonwealth's only other major industry is garment manufacturing, which enjoys a special exemption that allows garment factories in the Northern Marianas to export their products into the United States without paying a customs duty. The garment industry engendered controversy in the early 1990s, when reports of labor abuses and poor working conditions brought international attention. The worst of those abuses have since been corrected.

For the tourist, the Northern Marianas offer a wide range of activities, including tours of the many World War II memorials and relics, water sports, hiking, golf, tennis, and bowling. Hotel accomodations run the range from small local hotels to the plush Hyatt Regency Saipan.

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003