Compare Pacific Ocean (2003) - Northern Mariana Islands (2007)

Compare Pacific Ocean (2003) z Northern Mariana Islands (2007)

	Pacific Ocean (2003)	Northern Mariana Islands (2007)

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
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.)
Agriculture - products	-	coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle
Airports	-	5 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies	total: 477 sq km land: 477 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian
Area - comparative	about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.	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.
Birth rate	-	19.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $193 million expenditures: $223 million (FY01/02 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)
Climate	planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December	tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October
Coastline	135,663 km	1,482 km
Constitution	-	Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986
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
Death rate	-	2.29 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	-	$NA
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
Disputes - international	some maritime disputes (see littoral states)	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	extensive funding from US
Economy - overview	The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.	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.
Electricity - consumption	-	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production	-	NA kWh
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m
Environment - current issues	endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea	contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development
Ethnic groups	-	Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8% (2000 census)
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is used
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%
Exports	-	$NA
Exports - commodities	-	garments
Exports - partners	-	US (2006)
Fiscal year	-	1 October - 30 September
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
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - real growth rate	-	NA%
Geographic coordinates	0 00 N, 160 00 W	15 12 N, 145 45 E
Geography - note	the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean	strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean
Heliports	-	1 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	$214.4 million (2001)
Imports - commodities	-	food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products
Imports - partners	-	US, Japan (2006)
Independence	-	none (commonwealth in political union with the US)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	-0.8% (2000)
International organization participation	-	Interpol (subbureau), SPC, UPU
Irrigated land	-	NA
Judicial branch	-	Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court
Labor force	-	44,470 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Land boundaries	-	0 km
Land use	-	arable land: 13.04% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 82.61% (2005)
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)
Legal system	-	based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation
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)
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 76.29 years male: 73.7 years female: 79.05 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 96% (1980 est.)
Location	body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere	Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines
Map references	Political Map of the World	Oceania
Maritime claims	-	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the US
National holiday	-	Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)
Nationality	-	noun: NA (US citizens) adjective: NA
Natural hazards	surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December	active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)
Natural resources	oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish	arable land, fish
Net migration rate	-	7.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Covenant Party [Benigno R. FITIAL]; Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Juan S. REYES]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	-	84,546 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	2.461% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)	-
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 1 (2005)
Religions	-	Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)
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.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Telephone system	-	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	21,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	20,500 (2004)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (on Saipan; in addition, 2 cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (2006)
Terrain	surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest	southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic
Total fertility rate	-	1.21 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Transportation - note	Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)	-
Unemployment rate	-	3.9% (2001)

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