Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

The Basics

Population: 65,000 (2006 est.)

Capital: Saipan

Land Area: 477 sq. km.

Political Status and Form of Government: Commonwealth in political union with the United States, a U.S.-style government with three branches established with rights and responsibilities negotiated in the 1978 Commonwealth Covenant.

Languages: English, Chamorro, Carolinian

Currency: U.S. Dollar

Number of Islands: 14, five inhabited

The Numbers

Gross Domestic Product: $696.3 million

Gross Domestic Product per capita: $8.047

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.54% (2006 est.)

National Budget: $193.5 million

Aid per capita:

Life Expectancy: Male: 76.09 years (2006 est.) Female:

Ethnicity: Chamorro, Carolinian and other Micronesians 36.3%; Asian (Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese) 56.3 %; Caucasian 1.8%; other 0.8%; mixed 4.8%

Nationality: U.S.

Age Distribution:0-14 years: 19.4%, 15-64 years: 79%, 65+: 1.6% (2006 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 2.54% (2006 est.)

People in Power

Head of Government: Governor Benigno R. Fitial

Head of State: U.S. President George W. Bush

Cabinet Members: Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Villagomez; Eloy S. Inos, Department of Finance; Joseph K. P. Villagomez, Department of Public Health; Dr. Ignacio T. Dela Cruz, Department of Lands and Natural Resources; Gil San Nicolas, Department of Labor; John S. Del Rosario, Department of Public Lands; James Santos, Department of Commerce; Daisy Mae Villagomez-Bier, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs; Jose S. Demapan, Department of Public Works; Adam Hardwicke, Public Defender; Rebecca Warfield, Department of Public Safety; Matthew Gregory, Attorney General; Esther S. Fleming, Special Assistant for Administration; Anthony Muna, Special Assistant for Office of Management and Budget; Gonzalo Q. Santos, Resident Executive for Indigenous Affairs; Angie I. Olopai, Special Assistant for Carolinian Affairs; Remedio S. Buniag, Special Assistant for Women’s Affairs; Linda T. Cabrera, Special Assistant for Programs and Legislative Review; Angel Hocog, Public Liaison Officer; and Charles P. Reyes, Jr. Press Secretary.

Representative Body: Commonwealth; self-governing with locally-elected governor, lieutenant governor, and a bi-cameral legislature.

Regional Organizations

APIL, ESCAP, SPC, PBDC

Media & Internet Service Providers

Radio: AM 1, FM 6, Shortwave 1. Television stations: 1-Marianas Cable Vision, which also carries Filipino, Chinese, Japanese and Korean programs. Print: American Pacific Business magazine, Beach Road magazine, Hafa Adai magazine, Island Locator magazine. Newspapers: Saipan Tribune, Marianas Variety, Pacific Daily News, Pacific Times (weekly), and North Star, a Catholic newspaper distributed on Sundays. Telecommunications: Fast speed Internet, cellular,integrated voice and data, international private lines, prepaid phone cards, voice mail. Pacific Telecommunications Incorporated (PTI, formerly Verizon), Saipan Datacom, Saipan Cellular and Paging, I Connect, AAA Cellular and Saipan Cell.

Recent News

In late 2007 The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources approved and sent to the full house a bill that would federalize immigration of the Northern Marianas, including a proposal to grant the Commonwealth a non-voting delegate seat in the U.S. lower chamber. Earlier in the year, the U.S. Congress approved legislation that was signed by President Bush making the U.S. minimum wage applicable in the CNMI over a seven-year period until it reaches the minimum wage of $7.75 an hour, with the first 50 cent increment effective in July 2007. The minimum wage for the CNMI is now $3.55 an hour. The legislation was approved over the strong objection of the CNMI government and Saipan Chamber of Commerce. More garment factories continue to close as they can no longer compete with Asian-based factories since the World Trade Organization rules went into effect, lifting the quota limits on garments entering into the U.S. Tourism, now the only major industry, declined again in 2006 to less than half a million. The ruling Covenant Party lost the House of Representatives to the Republicans in the November mid-term elections,. The GOP increased its membership from 18 to 20. Casino gambling was rejected by residents of Saipan but approved on Rota, in a referendum in November. Governor Benigno R. Fitial in early November signed into law a controversial labor reform bill, after a four-year battle in the Legislature. Among other things, the law mandates a six-month exit of all non-resident employees after working in the CNMI for three consecutive years. The law also mandates that 30 percent of workers in any individual companies must be locals, up from 20 percent.

Airlines, Shippers Serving Countrys

Air: Continental Micronesia, Northwest Airlines, Asiana Airlines. Freedom Air and Cape Air offer commuter services among the Marianas Islands. Shippers: Seabridge and Saipan Shipping Company operate the route between Guam and Saipan. Kyowa, Marianas Express Lines, NYK Lines and others offer service between the Northern Marianas, Asia and Australia.