Local time--:--:--Saipan ·

Oceania / Micronesia · Card 018

Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands form a US commonwealth in Micronesia. Saipan is the capital island and main population centre.

Find Northern Mariana Islands

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Saipan
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: United States dollar (USD)
Population: 43,5412025 · World Bank
Area: 464 km²179.15 square miles
Commonwealth government: 1978In political union with the United States.

Northern Mariana Islands in context

Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Saipan; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

The Northern Mariana Islands form a north-to-south chain in the western Pacific. Southern islands such as Saipan and Tinian include limestone plateaus, while several northern islands are active volcanic islands. Their relief and settlement patterns differ markedly.

Saipan has hills, coastal plains and reefs. Tinian’s lower plateau landscape contrasts with the steeper volcanic islands farther north. Large ocean gaps separate parts of the chain, making it much more extensive than the main inhabited islands alone suggest.

Climate & seasons

The islands have a warm maritime climate moderated by trade winds. Rainfall varies seasonally, while annual temperature changes are relatively small.

Island environments

Limestone and volcanic geology produce different soils and drainage. Forest remnants, cliffs, reefs and coastal wetlands support varied habitats. Typhoons and volcanic activity affect different parts of the territory in different ways.

Flag

Blue with a five-pointed white star on a gray latte stone (a traditional foundation stone) in the center, surrounded by a mwáár or head lei (wreath)

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

English, CHamoru and Carolinian are official languages. CHamoru and Carolinian are distinct Indigenous language traditions of the islands.

Community and regional languages

Tagalog and other Philippine languages, Chinese, Korean and additional Pacific languages are also spoken. A three-language official list therefore does not describe all of the common home languages in the population.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & status

The Northern Mariana Islands experienced Spanish, German and Japanese administration before becoming part of a US-administered UN trust territory. In 1975, voters approved a covenant for political union with the United States. Constitutional government began in 1978, and US citizenship provisions took effect in 1986. The islands are a US commonwealth, distinct from neighbouring Guam.

1975
Voters approve the commonwealth covenant
1978
Constitutional government begins
1986
US citizenship provisions take effect
2009
The final garment factory closes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Tourism, public services, construction and transfers from the United States support the economy. Visitor demand is especially important for accommodation, restaurants and retail. The garment industry was significant in earlier decades but ceased to be a major manufacturing base after its final factory closed in 2009.

Industry and production

Tourism services, construction, retail and public administration. Garment manufacturing is a historical industry, not a current economic mainstay.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Thousands of people

43.52025 · thousands of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Thousands of people
1970	10,170	10.170
1980	17,625	17.625
1990	43,342	43.342
2000	68,356	68.356
2010	54,091	54.091
2020	47,528	47.528
2025	43,541	43.541

Real GDP, 2002–2022

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

0.902022 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
2002	1,607,115,152	1.607
2003	1,612,630,303	1.613
2004	1,562,993,939	1.563
2005	1,364,448,485	1.364
2006	1,270,690,909	1.271
2007	1,185,757,576	1.186
2008	1,054,496,970	1.054
2009	869,187,879	0.869
2010	881,321,212	0.881
2011	816,242,424	0.816
2012	822,860,606	0.823
2013	844,921,212	0.845
2014	880,218,182	0.880
2015	910,000,000	0.910
2016	1,175,830,303	1.176
2017	1,448,278,788	1.448
2018	1,165,903,030	1.166
2019	1,032,436,364	1.032
2020	732,412,121	0.732
2021	768,812,121	0.769
2022	896,763,636	0.897

Government

A commonwealth in political union with the United States. An elected Governor leads the executive, and the Legislature has a Senate and House of Representatives. The commonwealth operates under its constitution and covenant with the United States and elects a Delegate with limited voting rights in Congress.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Northern Mariana Islands.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

In which year did this event occur in Northern Mariana Islands: US citizenship provisions take effect?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.