Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, USA
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 17 volcanic islands, stretches 375 miles north to south and covers a land area of 181 square miles. There are five inhabited islands, but most of the 82,459 people (est. 2006) live on Saipan. Formerly a part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the CNMI opted in the 1970s to form closer ties with the U.S., becoming a commonwealth and a permanent part of the U.S. The people of the CNMI are U.S. citizens. Tourism is a major industry; manufacturing is growing rapidly.
Culture
Although much of the ancient Chamorro culture has been preserved in legends, traditions, and language, much has been added by succeeding administrations of the islands by the Spaniards, Germans, Japanese, and Americans. Carolinians migrated from the outer islands of Yap (Satawal, Lamotrek, and Ulithi) and Chuuk (Piserach, Ulul, Punlap, Tamatam, Puluwat, and Pulusuk). They came to the Mariana Islands by using their navigational skills based on wind, stars, waves, and their own fleet of dugout canoes made from the trunks of breadfruit trees.
Language
The Commonwealth has Chamorro, English, and Carolinian as its official languages. In the non-classroom setting, Carolinians more often can speak Chamorro than Chamorros can speak Carolinian. It should be noted also that both languages have linguistic relations elsewhere. The Chamorro language is also spoken in Guam, a U.S. territory. The Carolinian language is linguistically related to languages in the outer islands of Chuuk, Yap, and the Southwest Islands of Palau. Useful greetings are provided with English translations and phonetic pronunciations on Language Cards.
Education
The educational system in place in the CNMI, like most other Micronesian school systems, is modeled after that of the U.S. Students attend grades K–12 and have the options of attending the Northern Marianas College or going off-island to attend college. The CNMI has 32 public schools with an enrollment of 11,601 students.
PREL Service Center
P.O. Box 504449
Saipan, MP 96950
Phone: (670) 234-6000
Fax: (670) 234-7735
Email: cnmisc@prel.org
CNMI Public School System
Dr. David M. Borja, Commissioner of Education
P.O. Box 501370
Saipan, MP 96950
Phone: (670) 237-3005
Fax: (670) 664-3798
Email: borjad@pss.cnmi.mp
www.pss.cnmi.mp
Institution of Higher Education
Northern Marianas College
P. O. Box 501250
Saipan, MP 96950
Dr. Carmen Fernandez, President
Phone: (670) 234-5498 ext. 1000/1001/1002
Fax: (670) 234-1270
Email: carmenf@nmcnet.edu
www.nmcnet.edu
Government
Airline Service
Contact PREL
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning
Phone:
(808) 441-1300
U.S. Toll-free Phone:
(800) 377-4773
AskPREL
Phone:
(808) 441-1300
U.S. Toll-free Phone:
(800) 377-4773
AskPREL
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