About the CNMI

The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands are an archipelago of 14 islands located in the North Western Pacific Ocean. The Marianas are west of Hawaii, south of Japan, east of the Philippines, and north of Australia. Our climate is tropical in nature with average temperatures in the upper 80s all year round. The capital is on the island of Saipan which is where most of the population resides. In addition, our smaller neighboring islands Tinian and Rota have a much smaller population but provide a natural escape from the hustle and bustle of Saipan. The population is made up of the indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian peoples. In addition, the CNMI hosts a large expat South East/East Asian population that includes Filipinos, Chinese, Koreans, Bangladesh, Japanese, Thai, and others. A small number of American statesiders as well as people from Europe and Russia reside on the islands. The standard currency tender is the United States Dollar. The official languages are Chamorro, Carolinian and English with the latter being the lingua franca of all the ethnic groups. Our schools, both public and private, are taught in American English with the option to learn other languages as well. Our government and businesses also use English as a standard for day to day operations. We have one public hospital and a community college all located on the main island of Saipan. Our neighboring territory of Guam is located south and is easily reachable via a 45 minute flight.