Northern Mariana Islands Flag

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Brief History. The first European in these waters was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who landed on nearby Guam and claimed the islands for Spain. Sold to Germany in 1899, the Japanese took over in 1914 and turned the island into a military garrison. 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. After Japan's defeat, the islands were administered by the United States as part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. 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.

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Country Information

Local name: Northern Mariana Islands

Capital: Saipan

Population: 82,459

Government: commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature

Currency: US dollar (USD)

Land size: 477 sq km

Topography: southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic

Typical foods:

Major exports: garments

Information on the People

Official language: Philippine languages 24.4%

Other languages spoken: Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6%

Religions: Christian

Literacy rate: 97%

Male/Female Ratio: 0.77 male(s) to every 1 female

Life expectancy: 76.09 years

Ethnic groups: Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8%

Internet users: 10,000

Famous people:

  

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