A Brief History of the CNMI

Located in the western Pacific Ocean, the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) is a group of 14 islands and part of the Marianas chain of islands. The island chain includes the politically separate island of Guam to its south. The islands feature volcanic mountain peaks, raised coral reefs, and a tropical climate. The three main islands of CNMI are Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

Archaeological artifacts in Saipan suggest people from Southeast Asia were the first inhabitants of the island chain. The settlers produced a unique form of pottery similar to that found in the Philippines. Noted architectural development, based on early Spanish reports, featured upright pillars supporting structures known as latte, which may have been used for canoe sheds or houses. Stone and shell tools were also present.

Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to reach the Marianas in 1521. Other Europeans followed. The engagements with Westerners enabled the inhabitants to gain access to cloth and ironware, which was traded for tropical produce. It also exposed them to influenza, leprosy, smallpox, and other diseases that dramatically reduced their population.

In 1668, Jesuit priest Diego Luis de Sanvitores began the permanent colonization of the Marianas. His entourage included women, priests, Filipino soldiers, and laymen. Sanvitores designated the islands as the Marianas in honor of Spanish regent Mariana of Austria, who financed the undertaking.

Violent revolts followed until the Marianas were completely subjugated in 1698. From the Marianas, the Spaniards took control of the rest of Micronesia. European colonial competition eventually reached Micronesia in the 19th century. Soldiers and settlers from Great Britain and Germany began infringing on Spanish conquests in Micronesia.

Spain and the United States engaged in war in 1898. American Commodore George Dewey subdued the Spanish fleet in the Philippines, and took Guam as well. Spain completely withdrew from the Pacific in 1899 and sold all its possessions, including the Marianas, to Germany. The sale did not include Guam, as it was already in the hands of the Americans.

Saipan became Germany’s administrative center, which was also Spain’s administrative center after the US occupied Guam in 1898. This era culminated in the lasting separation between the Northern Marianas and Guam. Germany established schools, other public buildings, and agricultural plantations, and encouraged German migration to the islands.

Japan took control of Northern Marianas in World War I in a secret agreement with Britain. After the first World War, Japan received the Northern Marianas under the Treaty of Versailles. Subsequently, Japan established sugarcane plantations and refineries at Saipan and Rota.

World War II saw Japan occupy all of Micronesia, including Guam, until the US finally defeated Japan, establishing control over all of Micronesia. In an agreement with the United Nations, the US had administrative control of the Northern Marianas as a sector inside the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in Micronesia.

Micronesians comprising the whole trust territory began political status discussions with US representatives in 1969. The Northern Marianas began separate consultations with the US in 1973. A 1975 referendum was ratified by the people agreeing to a commonwealth status arrangement with the US. With its own constitution, CNMI began its rule and elected a governor who took office in 1978. Qualified CNMI residents became US citizens.

Today, the commonwealth has a population of around 51,600, with 90 percent of the populace residing in Saipan, and 92 percent living in an urban setting. Tourism is the primary industry. Favorable policies encouraged investors from China, the Philippines, and South Korea to establish clothing production facilities, which have made the garment industry a primary component of CNMI’s economy.

Modernized drinking water and sanitation facilities are available to 100 percent and 98 percent of the population, respectively. Over half of the commonwealth’s population are guest workers or nonresident aliens, predominantly from Asia, working in the garment industry.