Honoring Our U.S. Protectorates: Northern Mariana Islands...

The Northern Mariana Islands are a 300-mile chain of 14 islands and islets made from the volcanic mountains and coral reefs of an underwater trench in the western Pacific Ocean. The volcanos are still active on the northern side. The name of the islands came from a Spanish Queen called Mariana of Austria after Spain colonized the state. The Northern Mariana Islands together with Guam make up the Mariana Archipelago. The Northern Mariana Islands consist of a chain of 14 islands that include Saipan, Guguan, Rota and Tinian. The northern, largely uninhabited islands are Farallon de Medinilla, Anatahan, Sariguan, Gudgeon, Alamagan, Pagan, Agrihan, Asuncion, Maug Islands, and Farallon de Pajaro. These islands are located on the opposite side of the international date line than the continental US. It is a self-governing commonwealth with US sovereignty. Unlike a territory, this means they are eligible for supplemental security income. The head of the government is the commonwealth's governor, and the US president is the head of the state. The islands are right in the middle of the typhoons, and that is why its location is called Typhoon Alley. The people live in thatched houses that are built upon huge carved stones and coral pillars called "latte stones". Some of these still exist today and stand out as a unique trait to these islands. The capital is Saipan, the state flower is the plumeria, the state tree is the flame tree, and the state bird is the Mariana Fruit Dove (and this is the only place this bird can be found).

Around 1500 BC, the Northern Mariana Islands were settled by Austronesians - who eventually became the indigenous Chamorro. In the 1st century AD, Micronesians arrived and brought their influences, and around 900, the Southeastern Asians migrated to the islands. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan sailed to Northern Mariana Islands, and Spain ended up claiming them in 1565. The Spanish spread their diseases and fought the Chamorro for the land. They were repressors and killers, taking out 90% of the tribe in the 1700's. In 1899, Spain sold the Northern Mariana Islands to Germany in a treaty. Japan had a mandate from the League of Nations after WWI to administer the islands. When Japan invaded Guam from these islands during WWII, they used the Marianan Chamorro to translate with the Guamanian Chamorro. This started a feud between these two groups that still goes on today. In 1944, the Battle of Saipan was where the US caught the Northern Mariana Islands. They later put them into the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In 1978, The Northern Mariana Islands were granted self-governance, and in 1986, the islanders living there were granted US citizenship. Today, large-scale tourism is the economy driver, and this all depends on the grace of the weather being perfect for the travelers to feel safe and comfortable.