Saipan

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Saipan (IPA: [saɪ'pæn], [saɪ'pɑn], or ['saɪpæn] in English) is the largest island and capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean (15°10’51”N, 145°45’21”E) with a total area of 115.39 km² (44.55 sq mi). The 2000 census population was 62,392.^[1]

Located at latitude of 15.25° north and longitude of 145.75° east, about 200 km (120 mi) north of Guam, Saipan is about 20 km (12.5 mi) long and 9 km (5.5 mi) wide. It is a popular tourist destination in the Pacific.

The western side of the island is lined with sandy beaches and an offshore coral reef which creates a large lagoon. The eastern shore is composed primarily of rugged rocky cliffs and a reef. Its highest point is a limestone covered mountain called Mount Tapochau at 474 m (1,554 ft). Many people consider Mount Tapochau to be an extinct volcano, but there are no volcanic features located in this area.^{[citation needed]} To the north of Mount Tapochau towards Banzai Cliff is a ridge of hills. Mount Achugao, situated about 2 miles North, has been interpreted to be a remnant of a stratified composite volcanic cone whose Eocene center was not far north of the present peak.^[2]

Besides English, the indigenous Chamoru language is spoken by approximately 19 percent of the inhabitants.^{[citation needed]} The current governor of the CNMI is Benigno Fitial, who is the successor of Juan Babauta.

Contents 1 History 2 Agriculture and flora 3 Music 4 Transportation 5 Economy 5.1 Film and Video Industry 6 Controversy 6.1 Exemptions granted from federal regulation 7 Other local issues 8 People in Saipan 9 Notable residents 10 See also 11 External links 12 References

[edit] History

Saipan, along with neighboring Guahan, Rota/Luta, Tinian, and to a lesser extent smaller islands northward, was first inhabited around 2000 B.C.E. The Spanish were the first Europeans to encounter the Chamoru, and eventually annexed Saipan as part of its claim to the Marianas. Around 1815, many Carolinians settled Saipan during a period when the Chamoru were imprisoned on Guam, which resulted in a significant loss of land and rights for the Chamoru natives. German rule began in 1899 and lasted until 1914, when the Japanese took over the island under a League of Nations mandate. The Japanese developed both fishing and sugar industries, and in the 1930s garrisoned Saipan heavily, resulting in nearly 30,000 troops on the island by 1941.

On June 15, 1944 during World War II, U.S. Marines landed on the beaches of the southwestern side of the island, and spent more than three weeks fighting the battle of Saipan to secure it from the Japanese, an event which was dramatized in John Woo's 2002 film "Windtalkers." It should be noted, however, that the movie was not filmed on Saipan and does not accurately reflect the island at that time. For instance Garapan, which was its de facto capital during that period of the Japanese era is portrayed as a rural farming community, when in fact it was a fairly large town. Garapan is currently still the largest village and the center of the tourism industry on the island.

The CNMI joined the USA in November 1986. During negotiations, it was suggested by the USA that the CNMI be exempted from certain federal laws, including some concerning labor and immigration. The CNMI negotiation team and the USA agreed to this. As a result, dozens of hotels opened and tourism became the island's main economic engine. Garment factories which employed thousands of alien workers also opened. As of November 2006, ten remain in existence. The working conditions and treatment experienced by employees in these factories have been the subject of controversy and criticism (see below). They supply the U.S. market with low cost garments exempt from US tariffs, and goods manufactured in U.S. Commonwealths and Territories, including Saipan, may be labeled "Made in the USA". However, since 2002, many if not most are now labeled "Made in CNMI, USA" or "Made in Northern Mariana Islands, USA".

[edit] Agriculture and flora

Undeveloped areas on the island are covered with sword grass meadows and dense, dry-forest jungle known as Tangan-Tangan. Coconuts, papayas, and Thai hot peppers--locally called "Donne Sali" or "Boonie Peppers"--are among the fruits that grow wild. Mango, taro root, and bananas are a few of the many foods cultivated by local families and farmers. Sportfishing is excellent offshore, with numerous small boats catching tuna, wahoo, billfish and many other species.

[edit] Music

Music on Saipan can generally be broken down into three branches- Local, Mainland American and Asian. Local consists of Chamorro, Carolinian and Micronesian traditional music and song, often with traditional dance for many occasions. Mainland American is many of the same varieties that can be found on U.S. radio; and Asian consists of Japanese, Korean, Thai and Philippine music among others.

[edit] Transportation

Travel to and from the island is available from several airlines via Saipan International Airport. A ferry also operates between Saipan and its smaller neighboring island 5 miles to the south, Tinian. Taxis are available. There is no public transportation system.

[edit] Economy

Tourism has long been a vital source of the island's revenue, although the industry has suffered badly ever since the occurence in the mid-late 1990s of the Asian Economic Crisis, which increased the CNMI's need to rely on its U.S. government subsidies and the foreign-owned and operated garment industry in order to help prevent economic collapse. Some major airlines have since ceased service to the island. Many internationally-known businesses operate on Saipan, particularly in Garapan--e.g. The Hilton Hotel, shopping boutiques Chanel, Christian Dior, and Gucci, and The Hard Rock Cafe to name a few. However, many more including the La Fiesta shopping mall and Le Bon Marche among others eventually closed in the wake of the economic crisis. Other activities available to visitors include skydiving, scuba diving, golf and athletic competitions such as Xterra and other triathlons.

[edit] Film and Video Industry

Many Chinese, Japanese, and Korean celebrities and musical artists visit the island quite frequently to produce music videos, advertisements or drama series.

• The Twins musical duo from Hong Kong recently visited the islands to record their 2006 album, Ho Hoo Tan. The island was also the scene of their album music videos.
• K-pop artist TVXQ (also known in their native Korea as Dong Bang Shin Ki and as ToHoShinKi in Japan), shot their 7th Japanese single photoshoot (entitled Sky) in Saipan as well as their Sky music video.

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Exemptions granted from federal regulation

In 2005–2006, the issue of immigration and labor practices on Saipan was brought up during the American political scandals of Congressman Tom DeLay and lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who visited the island on numerous occasions. Ms. magazine has followed the issue and published a major expose in their Spring 2006 article "Paradise Lost: Greed, Sex Slavery, Forced Abortion and Right-Wing Moralists"

In January 1999, a coalition of U.S.-based lawyers and other groups (many of whom were losing business to the Saipan industry) and labor unions began a class action lawsuit on behalf of around 30,000 garment-industry workers who felt they may have been mistreated. The lawsuit prevailed and a verdict was awarded to the workers. Most of the money went to the lawyers who charged exorbitant fees, some of which were struck out, even chastised by Saipan Federal Judge Alex R. Munson. The lawyers took so much of the funds that each worker received less than $200.

On February 8, 2007, testimony was received at the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on the matter of federalizing CNMI labor and immigration. Secretary of Insular Affairs David B. Cohen has warned the CNMI to expect the federalizing measures in the very near future. What is generally unknown is that during the compact talks, the USA suggested that the CNMI have control of its immigration and minimum wage so that its economy could be self-sustaining. The CNMI receives very little federal monies in comparison to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam or American Samoa, whose economies depend highly on federal handouts.

[edit] Other local issues

Despite an annual rainfall of 80-100", the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC), the local government-run water utility company on Saipan, is unable to deliver 24-hour-a-day potable water to its customers in certain areas. As a result, several large hotels use reverse osmosis to produce fresh water for their customers. In addition, most homes and small businesses augment the sporadic and sometimes brackish water provided by CUC with rainwater collected and stored in cisterns.

Saipan also has a place in many Irish people's minds, after "The Saipan Incident" which took place before the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

[edit] People in Saipan

• Chamorros
• Carolinians
• Filipino people / Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)
• Overseas Chinese
• Koreans
• Japanese people
• Mainland Americans
• Bangladeshi people
• Canadian people
• Thai people
• Chuukese
• Pohnpeians
• Palauan
• Nepalese
• Fijian people

[edit] Notable residents

• Bob Coldeen - 1981-present
• Larry Hillblom - 1980s-1995
• Guy Gabaldon - 1926 - 2006

[edit] See also

• Garapan
• Susupe
• List of Registered Historic Places in the Northern Mariana Islands
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Kalabera
• Saipan International Airport

[edit] External links

• Saipan Municipality, United States Census Bureau

Coordinates: 15°11′N, 145°45′E

• Food for Thought - Weekly commentary on CNMI society by KZMI and KCNM manager Harry Blalock
• SaipanSucks.com – Critical of Saipan
• Ms. magazine article "Paradise Lost" Spring 2006 In depth article about garment workers and scandal in the CNMI
• Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs Links to cultural and informational sites about the CNMI as well as to goverment sites

[edit] References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]

	Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Saipan (capital)
Topics	Archipelago | Geography | Politics | Economy | Campaign
Islands	Farallon de Pajaros (Uracas) | Maug Islands | Asuncion | Agrihan (Agrigan) | Pagan | Alamagan | Guguan | Zealandia Bank | Sarigan | Anatahan | Farallon de Medinilla | Saipan | Tinian | Aguijan (Agiguan) | Rota
Municipalities	Northern Islands Municipality | Saipan | Tinian | Rota