Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is an American insular area and commonwealth in the western Pacific Ocean. The 15-square-mile (39 km2) archipelago comprises the 15 islands of the Mariana Archipelago; the southernmost island, Guam, is about 3,800 miles (6,100 km) to the southeast of the CNMI and is not governed by it. The CNMI includes the 14 northern Mariana Islands in the Mariana Archipelago; the islands of Alamagan, Anatahan, Farallon de Pajaros, Maug, and Agrihan; and the southern island of Rota. The 2010 United States Census reported a total population of 53,883 people. The vast majority of the population resides on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The indigenous people of the Mariana Islands are the Chamorros, who are related to other Austronesian peoples of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. The Chamorros are a Malayo-Polynesian people who are believed to have originally settled the Mariana Islands in the 4th millennium BC. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is a self-governing commonwealth in political union with the United States. The Commonwealth's center of government is located on the island of Saipan. As specified in the Covenant to Establish the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, the United States has full sovereignty and authority over the Commonwealth and its people. The economy of the CNMI has been dependent on tourism and the United States military. The influx of tourists has been attributed to the loosening of visa requirements by the US Department of Homeland Security in 2009. In 2014, more than 1.1 million tourists visited the CNMI, a 26.8% increase from the previous year. The vast majority of visitors come from Japan, followed by South Korea, China, and Taiwan. The US military has been present on the islands since 1947, when it established a military installation on Guam. In the 1960s, the US military began to build bases on the CNMI, which became an important strategic location during the Cold War. The islands were also used as a training ground for the US military during the Vietnam War. The military presence on the islands has declined in recent years, but the US still maintains a large presence on Guam.