Mariana Islands
The
Northern Mariana Islands
/ˈnɔrðərn mɛəriˈænə ˈaɪləndz/
(help·info)
, officially the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
(
CNMI
), is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of fifteen islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines, at
15°1′2″N
145°4′5″E
 / 
15.01722°N 145.06806°E
 /
15.01722; 145.06806
. The United States Census Bureau reports the total land area of all islands as 179.01 square miles (463.63 km
2
).
The Northern Mariana Islands has a population of 80,362 (2005 estimate). The official 2000 census count was 69,221. More than 90% of the Commonwealth's population lives on the island of Saipan. Of the fourteen other islands, only two, Tinian and Rota, have a significant population. The islands of Agrihan and Alamagan have fewer than ten residents, and the remaining ten islands are unpopulated. The Northern Mariana Islands have the lowest male to female sex ratio in the world with an average of 76 men to every 100 women. That is due to the overwhelming female majority of foreign workers, especially in the garment industry.
The Commonwealth's centre of government is located in the village of Capital Hill on the island of Saipan. As the island is governed as a single municipality, most publications term "Saipan" as the Commonwealth's capital.
Administratively, the CNMI is divided into four municipalities:
The Northern Islands (north of Saipan) form the Northern Islands Municipality. The three main islands of the Southern Islands form the municipalities of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, with uninhabited Aguijan forming part of Tinian municipality.
Because of volcanic threat, the northern islands have been largely evacuated. Human habitation is limited to Agrihan, Pagan, and Alamagan, but population varies due to various economic factors, including children's education. The Census of April 2000 registered just six people in all of the Northern Islands municipality (then residing on Alamagan), and the Northern Islands' mayor office is located in "exile" on Saipan.
Saipan, Tinian, and Rota have the only ports and harbors, and are the only permanently populated islands.