Compare Southern Ocean (2006) - Northern Mariana Islands (2003)

Compare Southern Ocean (2006) z Northern Mariana Islands (2003)

	Southern Ocean (2006)	Northern Mariana Islands (2003)

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: 23.3% (male 9,483; female 9,168) 15-64 years: 74.8% (male 27,839; female 32,041) 65 years and over: 1.8% (male 748; female 727) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle
Airports	-	6 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Area	total: 20.327 million sq km note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell 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	slightly more than twice the size of the US	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the US Government.	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. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978.
Birth rate	-	19.97 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $193 million expenditures: $223 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY 01/02 est.)
Capital	-	Saipan
Climate	sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter	tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October
Coastline	17,968 km	1,482 km
Constitution	-	Covenant Agreement effective 4 November 1986 and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978
Country name	-	conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands former: Mariana Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	-	2.44 deaths/1,000 population (2003 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	Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	extensive funding from US
Economy - overview	Fisheries in 2003-04 landed 136,262 metric tons, of which 87% (118,166 tons) was krill and 8% (11,182 tons) Patagonian toothfish, compared to 142,555 tons in 2002-03 of which 83% (117,728 tons) was krill and 12% (16,479 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2004-05 Antarctic summer 28,202 tourists, most of them seaborne (approximately 97%), visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 in 1999-2000.	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 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
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh
Electricity - production	-	NA kWh
Elevation extremes	lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m
Environment - current issues	increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries	contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development
Environment - international agreements	the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing) note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north	-
Ethnic groups	-	Chamorro, Carolinians and other Micronesians, Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean
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 Juan N. BABAUTA (since NA January 2002); Lieutenant Governor Diego T. BENEVENTE (since NA January 2002) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held NA November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2005) election results: Juan N. BABAUTA elected governor in a four-way race; percent of vote - Juan N. BABAUTA (Republican Party) 49%
Exports	-	$NA
Exports - commodities	-	garments
Exports - partners	-	US (2000)
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	-	purchasing power parity - $900 million note: $900 million $900 million GDP estimate includes US subsidy (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $12,500 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	NA%
Geographic coordinates	60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude	15 12 N, 145 45 E
Geography - note	the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds	strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean
Heliports	-	1 (2002)
Highways	-	total: 362 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1991)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	$NA
Imports - commodities	-	food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products
Imports - partners	-	US, Japan (2000)
Independence	-	none (commonwealth in political union with the US)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 5.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	1.2% (1997 est.)
International organization participation	-	ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), SPC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2001)
Irrigated land	-	NA sq km
Judicial branch	-	Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court
Labor force	-	6,006 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers
Labor force - by occupation	-	NA
Land boundaries	-	0 km
Land use	-	arable land: 15.22% permanent crops: 6.52% other: 78.26% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	English, Chamorro, Carolinian note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home
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 (18 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 5 November 2001 (next to be held NA November 2003); House of Representatives - last held 1 November 2003 (next to be held NA November 2005) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Republican Party 4, Democratic Party 3, Reform Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Covenant Party 9, Republican Party 7, Democratic Party 1, independent 1 note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" located in Washington, DC; seats by party - Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO)
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 76.16 years male: 73.06 years female: 79.44 years (2003 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 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica	Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines
Map references	Antarctic Region	Oceania
Maritime claims	-	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	-	none (2002 est.)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the US
National holiday	-	Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)
Nationality	-	noun: NA adjective: NA
Natural hazards	huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue	active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)
Natural resources	probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes	arable land, fish
Net migration rate	-	16.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Benigno R. FITIAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	-	80,006 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	3.37% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Saipan, Tinian
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways	-	0 km
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: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2003 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: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	21,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	1,200 (1995)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (on Saipan and one station planned for Rota; in addition, two cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (1997)
Terrain	the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers	southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic
Total fertility rate	-	1.75 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Transportation - note	Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal	-
Unemployment rate	-	NA%
Waterways	-	none

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