Northern Mariana Islands
Updated: Sep 20, 2022
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Country Name
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Location
The Northern Mariana Islands is a Commonwealth country officially united with the United States that has a strategic location in the western Pacific Ocean and comprises 15 islands located roughly halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines. The Northern Mariana Islands are surrounded by a chain of islands, with Japan to the north, Hawaii to the east, Guam to the south, and the Philippines to the west.
Capital
Saipan.
Flag
The flag of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands was adopted by the Second Northern Marianas Constitution in July 1985.
The flag consists of three symbols: a star representing the United States, a latte stone representing the Chamorros, and a decorative wreath representing the Carolinians; the blue background represents the Pacific Ocean and the Mariana Trench.
Language
The official languages in the Northern Mariana Islands include English, Chamorro, and Carolinian. Few people still speak the nearly extinct Tanapag language. Many Philippine languages, Chinese, and other Pacific island languages are also spoken. Spanish is still retained in surnames but is no longer commonly used, though it is still familiar to some elders as a third or fourth language.
Religion
Because of the Spanish missionaries in the Northern Mariana Islands, the vast majority of Chamorros and Carolinians are Roman Catholic. The Japanese occupation resulted in the formation of a substantial Buddhist community, which survived long after the Japanese left. Because of the influence of the United States, several Protestant faiths reached the islands. Many Northern Marianas residents are Roman Catholics or hold traditional beliefs. Roman Catholic 64.1%.
Currency
United States dollar (USD).
Time Zone
+10:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Democratic presidential republic.
Climate
The Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean, have a tropical, hot, and humid climate all year, with a milder, drier season from December to June and a hotter, rainy season from July to November. Temperatures remain steady throughout the year, particularly on the southern islands, which are closer to the Equator and also the most populated: daytime temperatures vary from 28/29 °C (82/84 °F) in the coolest period to 30/31 °C (86/88 °F) in the hottest. The heat is oppressive, but the trade breezes keep it at bay.
The best time to visit the Northern Marianas runs from January to April, since it's the least hot and the least rainy, and (normally) outside of the typhoon season. February and March are the best months of all.