Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands is one of the five inhabited U.S. island territories (the other four are Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa). It is one of two territories with "Commonwealth" status; the other is Puerto Rico). It consists of fifteen islands in the western Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.

Did you know that:
1.  Ferdinand Magellan was the first explorer of this area. Magellan landed on nearby Guam in 1521. He left three days after he landed on Guam.
2. In the northern part of the Northern Mariana Islands, there is a group of islands called the Maug Islands. During World War II, Japanese used this islands for a manned weather station.
3. The largest ethnic group in the Northern Mariana Islands is Filipino. In 2009, Filipinos made up over 29% of the population.
4. Saipan is the biggest island there. It’s also the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. It has traditionally been the most populated of the islands. Saipan's area is 44.55 square miles.