The Northern Mariana Islands comprise all of the Mariana Islands chain in the northwest Pacific except for the island of Guam. On the map you will find the Northern Mariana Islands running along 145E Longitude, beginning at 14N Latitude, which is about 3,200 miles (5,150 kilometers) west of Hawaii, and about 1,250 miles (2,012 kilometers) southeast of Tokyo Japan. There are three principal populated islands in the Northern Mariana Islands: Saipan, Tinian and Rota Island. The Northern Mariana Islands are a United States Commonwealth (The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or "CNMI"), having a United States political status similar to that of Puerto Rico. Under the terms of the "Covenant" agreement that created the Commonwealth, CNMI citizens have U.S. citizenship, and the CNMI is subject to U.S. federal laws except for certain Immigration, Minimum Wage, and Tax laws that are subject to local CNMI control. The CNMI has an elected Governor, Legislature and Municipal leaders; and the CNMI Judicial Branch has a Superior Court and a Commonwealth Supreme Court. Saipan Island is the Capital of the CNMI. The Northern Mariana Islands were populated by native Chamorros and Carolinians before being colonized by Spain, then Germany, and then Japan. In June 1944 a major battle of World War II was fought at Saipan and Tinian Islands, and in August 1945 the B-29 "Enola Gay" flew from Tinian Island to drop the first atomic weapon on Japan. At the conclusion of World War II the United States Government administered the Northern Mariana Islands and other parts of Micronesia as the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In 1975 residents of the Northern Mariana Islands voted to become a U.S. Commonwealth, and withdraw from the U.N. Trust Territory. Before World War II the economy in the Northern Mariana Islands was agricultural and subsistence-based. The Japanese were particularly active in agricultural development before World War II. After World War II the economic, political and social conditions have changed dramatically. Today there is a very diverse population of Chamorros, Carolinians, Filipinos, Chinese, Thai, other Pacific Islanders, and Mainland-Americans. The economy in the CNMI is based on Tourism, Manufacturing (principally garment manufacturing), Government employment, and Agriculture. For further information on the Northern Mariana Islands, visit: http://www.saipan.com http://www.visit-marianas.com http://www.nps.gov/amme/main.htm http://weather.saipan.com U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands 2nd Floor, Horiguchi Building, Garapan P.O. Box 500687,  Saipan, MP  96950  USA Ph. +1 (670) 236-2902    Fax +1 (670) 236-2910 Send comments to webmaster.