# Northern Mariana Islands

| Northern Mariana Islands |
| --- |
| United States territory |
| Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands *Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas*  (Chamorro) *Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas*  (Carolinian) |
|  Flag Seal |
| **Anthem**: "Gi Talo Gi Halom Tasi" (Chamorro) "Satil Matawal Pacifiko" (Carolinian) (*"In the Middle of the Sea"*) (regional)Duration: 1 minute and 28 seconds.1:28 "The Star-Spangled Banner" (official) Duration: 1 minute and 19 seconds.1:19 |
| Location of the Northern Mariana Islands (circled in red) |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Before association with the United States | Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands |
| Commonwealth status | January 9, 1978 |
| End of U.N. Trusteeship | November 4, 1986 |
| Capitaland largest city | Saipan ﻿ / ﻿ |
| Official languages | * English
* Chamorro
* Carolinian
 |
| Other languages | Philippine languages |
| Ethnic groups (2023) | * 35.3% Filipino
* 23.9% Chamorro
* 6.8% Chinese
* 4.6% Refaluwasch
* 4.2% Korean
* 6.4% other Pacific Islander
* 3.78% other Asian
* 15.1% other
 |
| Religion (2010) | * 81.3% Christianity
* 10.6% Buddhism
* 5.3% folk religions
* 1.0% no religion
* 0.7% Islam
* 1.1% other
 |
| Demonym(s) | Northern Mariana Islander (formal) Northern Marianan (other) Marianan (diminutive form) Chamorro (colloquial) |
| Government | Devolved presidential constitutional dependency |
|  |
| • Governor  | David M. Apatang (I) |
| • Lieutenant Governor  | Dennis C. Mendiola (R) |
|  |
| Legislature | Commonwealth Legislature |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| United States Congress |
| • House delegate | Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R) |
| Area |
| • Total | 464 km2 (179 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation (Mount Agrihan) | 965 m (3,166 ft) |
| Population |
| • 2022 estimate | 55,650 (209th) |
| • 2020 census | 47,329 |
| • Density | 113/km2 (292.7/sq mi) (97th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2016 estimate |
| • Total | $1.24 billion |
| • Per capita | $25,516 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2019 estimate |
| • Total | $1.18 billion |
| • Per capita | $21,239 |
| HDI (2017) | 0.875 very high |
| Currency | United States dollar (US$) (USD) |
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (ChST) |
| Date format | mm/dd/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +1-670 |
| USPS abbreviation | MP |
| Trad. abbreviation | CNMI |
| ISO 3166 code | * MP
* US-MP
 |
| Internet TLD | .mp |
| Website | gov.mp |

The **Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands**, usually shortened to the **Northern Mariana Islands**, is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean that are a political division controlled by the United States. Its capital is Saipan.

Spain owned the islands until 1899 and sold them to the German Empire. Germany lost them to Japan in World War I and the United States took them in World War II.

## Geography

The Northern Mariana Islands, together with Guam to the south, compose the Mariana Islands. The southern islands are limestone, with level terraces and fringing coral reefs. The northern islands are volcanic, with active volcanos on Anatahan, Pagan and Agrihan. The volcano on Agrihan has the highest elevation at 3,166 feet (965 m).
Anatahan Volcano is a small volcanic island 80 miles (130 km) north of Saipan. It is about 6 miles (10 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide. Anatahan began erupting suddenly from its east crater on May 10, 2003, at about 6 p.m. (0800 UTC). It has since alternated between eruptive and calm periods. On April 6, 2005, approximately 1,800,000 cubic feet (50,970 m3) of ash and rock were ejected, causing a large, black cloud to drift south over Saipan and Tinian.

## People

| Historical population |
| --- |
| Census | Pop. |  | %± |
| **1960** | 8,286 |  | — |
| **1970** | 9,436 |  | 13.9% |
| **1980** | 16,780 |  | 77.8% |
| **1990** | 43,345 |  | 158.3% |
| **2000** | 69,221 |  | 59.7% |
| **2010** | 53,883 |  | −22.2% |
| **2020** | 47,329 |  | −12.2% |

In 2020, 47,329 people lived on the Northern Mariana Islands. This was down from 69,221 in 2000.

The official languages on the Northern Mariana Islands are English, Chamorro, and Carolinian. Only a few people speak the Tanapag language. Many people also speak Philippine languages, Chinese, and other Pacific island languages. Many people still have Spanish family names, but the people do not often speak Spanish, as they did in the past.

Most people in the Northern Mariana Islands are Roman Catholic. There are also communities of Buddhist and Protestant people. Many people have traditional beliefs, also referred to as folk religion.
According to the Pew Research Center, 2010:

* Roman Catholic 64.1%
* Protestants 16%
* Buddhists 10.6%
* Folk religions 5.3%
* Other Christians 1.2%
* Other religions 1.1%
* Unaffiliated 1.0%
* Eastern Orthodox <1%
* Hindu <1%
* Muslim <1%
* Jews <1%

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 865 members in the Northern Mariana Islands.

## Other websites

 Media related to Northern Mariana Islands at Wikimedia Commons

* Wikimedia Atlas of Northern Mariana Islands
* Northern Mariana Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage
* Northern Mariana Islands Archived 2025-04-25 at the Wayback Machine *official government website*
* The CNMI Covenant Archived 2013-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
* The CNMI Constitution Archived 2008-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
* CNMI Office of Resident Representative Pedro A. Tenorio Archived 2007-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
* H.R. 873 - the Northern Mariana Islands Delegate Act Archived 2008-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
* H.R. 5550 - The United States-Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Human Dignity Act Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
* *U.S. Census Bureau: Island Areas Census 2000*
* "Northern Mariana Islands". *The World Factbook* (2026 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
* Northern Mariana Islands at the Open Directory Project