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Compare Northern Mariana Islands (2008) - Mexico (2002)

Compare Northern Mariana Islands (2008) z Mexico (2002)

 Northern Mariana Islands (2008)Mexico (2002)
 Northern Mariana IslandsMexico
Administrative divisions none (commonwealth in political union with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four municipalities at the second order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas
Age structure 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 8,354/female 7,612)


15-64 years: 79.5% (male 27,334/female 39,860)


65 years and over: 1.6% (male 717/female 669) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 32.8% (male 17,310,230; female 16,630,935)


15-64 years: 62.7% (male 31,552,877; female 33,246,668)


65 years and over: 4.5% (male 2,069,826; female 2,589,629) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Airports 5 (2007) 1,852 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
total: 231


over 3,047 m: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 28


1,524 to 2,437 m: 83


914 to 1,523 m: 82


under 914 m: 27 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 1,592 1,617


over 3,047 m: 1 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 69 69


914 to 1,523 m: 454 461


under 914 m: 1,067 1,085 (2002)
Area total: 477 sq km


land: 477 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian
total: 1,972,550 sq km


land: 1,923,040 sq km


water: 49,510 sq km
Area - comparative 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Background Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975, and came into force on 24 March 1976. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978. The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.
Birth rate 19.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 22.36 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $193 million


expenditures: $223 million (FY01/02 est.)
revenues: $136 billion


expenditures: $140 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) (2001 est.)
Capital name: Saipan


geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E


time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Mexico (Distrito Federal)
Climate tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October varies from tropical to desert
Coastline 1,482 km 9,330 km
Constitution Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986 5 February 1917
Country name conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands


conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands


abbreviation: CNMI


former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Mariana Islands District
conventional long form: United Mexican States


conventional short form: Mexico


local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos


local short form: Mexico
Currency - Mexican peso (MXN)
Death rate 2.29 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 4.99 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $NA $191 billion (2001) (2001)
Dependency status commonwealth in political union with the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs -
Diplomatic representation from the US - chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA


embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal


mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 520-9000


telephone: [52] 55 5080-2000


FAX: [52] 55 5511-9980


consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana


consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales
Diplomatic representation in the US - chief of mission: Ambassador Juan Jose BREMER Martino


chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600


FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)


consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient extensive funding from US $1.166 billion (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. The key tourist industry employs about 50% of the work force and accounts for roughly one-fourth of GDP. Japanese tourists predominate. Annual tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years, but financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown. The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Garment production is by far the most important industry with the employment of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US under duty and quota exemptions. Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity, natural gas distribution, and airports. Income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Following 6.9% growth in 2000, real GDP fell 0.3% in 2001, with the US slowdown the principal cause. Positive developments in 2001 included a drop in inflation to 6.5%, a sharp fall in interest rates, and a strong peso that appreciated 5% against the dollar. Mexico City implemented free trade agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the European Free Trade Area in 2001, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. Foreign direct investment reached $25 billion in 2001, of which $12.5 billion came from the purchase of Mexico's second largest bank, Banamex, by Citigroup.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 182.83 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2007 est.) 77 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2007 est.) 2.145 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production NA kWh 194.37 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 76%


hydro: 17%


nuclear: 4%


other: 3% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m
lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m


highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
Environment - current issues contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion


note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8% (2000 census) mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Exchange rates the US dollar is used Mexican pesos per US dollar - 9.1614 (January 2002), 9.3423 (2001), 9.4556 (2000), 9.5604 (1999), 9.1360 (1998), 7.9185 (1997)
Executive branch chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)


head of government: Governor Benigno R. FITIAL (since 9 January 2006); Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. VILLAGOMEZ (since 9 January 2006)


cabinet: the cabinet consists of the heads of the 10 principal departments under the executive branch who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; other members include Special Assistants to the governor and office heads appointed by and reporting directly to the governor


elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009)


election results: Benigno R. FITIAL elected governor in a four-way race; percent of vote - Benigno R. FITIAL 28.07%, Heinz HOFSCHNEIDER 27.34%, Juan BABAUTA 26.6%, Froilan TENORIO 17.99%
chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2006)


election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent of vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa (PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%
Exports $NA $159 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Exports - commodities garments manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners US (2006) US 88.4%, Canada 2%, Germany 0.9%, Spain 0.8%, Netherlands Antilles 0.6%, Japan 0.4%, UK 0.4%, Venezuela 0.4%, (2001 est.)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description blue, with a white, five-pointed star superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a wreath three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band
GDP - purchasing power parity - $920 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture: 5%


industry: 26%


services: 69% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% -0.3% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 12 N, 145 45 E 23 00 N, 102 00 W
Geography - note strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico
Heliports 1 (2007) 2 (2002)
Highways - total: 323,977 km


paved: 96,221 km (including 6,335 km of expressways)


unpaved: 227,756 km (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 41% (2001) (2001)
Illicit drugs - illicit cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in 2001 - 4,400 hectares; potential heroin production - 7 metric tons) and cannabis cultivation in 2001 - 4,100 hectares; government eradication efforts have been key in keeping illicit crop levels low; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; growing producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center
Imports $214.4 million (2001) $168 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Imports - commodities food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts
Imports - partners US, Japan (2006) US 68.4%, Japan 4.7%, Germany 3.6%, Canada 2.5%, China 2.2%, South Korea 2.1%, Taiwan 1.6%, Italy 1.3%, Brazil 1.1% (2001 est.)
Independence none (commonwealth in political union with the US) 16 September 1810 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate NA% -3.4% (2001 est.)
Industries tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
24.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) -0.8% (2000) 6.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation Interpol (subbureau), SPC, UPU APEC, BCIE, BIS, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 51 (2000)
Irrigated land NA 65,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)
Labor force 44,470 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (2000) 39.8 million (2000) (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture 20%, industry 24%, services 56% (1998) (1998)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 4,353 km


border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Land use arable land: 13.04%


permanent crops: 4.35%


other: 82.61% (2005)
arable land: 13.2%


permanent crops: 1.1%


other: 85.7% (1998 est.)
Languages Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census) Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Legal system based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch bicameral Legislature consists of the Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 3 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2009); House of Representatives - last held 3 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2009)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Covenant Party 3, Republican Party 3, Democratic Party 1, independents 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 12, Covenant Party 4, Democratic Party 1, independents 3


note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" in Washington, DC; seats by party - Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO)
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote, also for three-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2003)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 15, PVEM 5, PT 1, CD 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 211, PAN 207, PRD 50, PVEM 16, PT 8, PSN 3, PAS 2, CD 1, independents 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 76.29 years


male: 73.7 years


female: 79.05 years (2007 est.)
total population: 72.03 years


male: 68.99 years


female: 75.21 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 96% (1980 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 89.6%


male: 91.8%


female: 87.4% (1995 est.)
Location Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Map references Oceania North America
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 656,594 GRT/987,822 DWT


ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 27, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 3


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Canada 2, Denmark 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the US -
Military branches - National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) (including Army and Air Force), Navy Secretariat (including Naval Air and Marines)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $4 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 1% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 27,229,581 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 19,761,440 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age


note: starting in 2000, females were allowed to volunteer for military service (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 1,077,536 (2002 est.)
National holiday Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978) Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Nationality noun: NA (US citizens)


adjective: NA
noun: Mexican(s)


adjective: Mexican
Natural hazards active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November) tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
Natural resources arable land, fish petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
Net migration rate 7.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km
Political parties and leaders Covenant Party [Benigno R. FITIAL]; Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Juan S. REYES] Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Dulce Maria SAURI Riancho]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena]; Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Amalia GARCIA Medina]; Party of the Nationalist Society or PSN [Gustavo RIOJAS Santana]; Social Alliance Party or PAS [Guillermo CALDERON Dominguez]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC; Roman Catholic Church
Population 84,546 (July 2007 est.) 103,400,165 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 40% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.461% (2007 est.) 1.47% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 1 (2005) AM 851, FM 598, shortwave 16 (2000)
Radios - 31 million (1997)
Railways - total: 18,000 km


standard gauge: 18,000 km 1.435-m gauge (2001)
Religions Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found) nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.097 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.686 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.072 male(s)/female


total population: 0.756 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
general assessment: low telephone density with about 12 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development


domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobile cellular service


international: satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)
Telephones - main lines in use 21,000 (2000) 12.332 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 20,500 (2004) 2.02 million (1998)
Television broadcast stations 1 (on Saipan; in addition, 2 cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (2006) 236 (plus repeaters) (1997)
Terrain southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
Total fertility rate 1.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) 2.57 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.9% (2001) urban - 3% plus considerable underemployment (2001)
Waterways - 2,900 km


note: navigable rivers and coastal canals
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