Saipan (pronounced /saɪˈpæn/, /saɪˈpɑn/, or /ˈsaɪpæn/ 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). An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI is a commonwealth in Political union with the United The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions To help compare different Orders of magnitude and geographical regions we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km² 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. Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated 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. Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water 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). Mount Tapochau is the highest point on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, at 474 m (1554 ft Many people consider Mount Tapochau to be an extinct volcano, but is in fact a limestone formation. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the ^[2] 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. Volcanic cones are among the simplest Volcano formations in the world The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in ^[3]

Besides English, the indigenous Chamorro language is spoken by approximately 19 percent of the inhabitants. Chamorro ( Chamoru) is the native language of the Chamorro or Chamoru of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. The current governor of the CNMI is Benigno Fitial, who is the successor of Juan Babauta. Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27 1945) is the current Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Juan Nekai Babauta was the fifth elected Governor of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The island also has many other large, strongly defined lingual and ethnic groups because of the large percentage of contract workers (60% of total population, as of 2001^[4]) from China, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In addition, a large percentage of the island's population includes first-generation immigrants from Japan, China, and Korea, and immigrants from many of the other Micronesian islands.

Contents 1 History 2 Agriculture and flora 3 Music 4 Transportation 5 Economy 6 Controversy 6.1 Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal 6.2 Foreign contract labor abuse and exemptions from U.S. federal regulations 7 Other local issues 8 Demographics 9 Education 10 Notable residents from the mainland United States 11 Appearances in fiction 12 See also 13 External links 14 References

History

Saipan, along with neighboring Guam, 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 Chamorros and Spain eventually annexed Saipan as part of its claim to the Mariana Islands. Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated Rota ( Chamoru: Luta) also known as the "peaceful island" is the Tinian (ˈtɪniən /ˌtiːniˈɑːn/ is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (14°59’51”N 145°37’39”E Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning Around 1815, many Carolinians^[5][6] from Satawal settled Saipan during a period when the Chamorros were imprisoned on Guam, which resulted in a significant loss of land and rights for the Chamorro natives. Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Satawal is a solitary Coral Island located at in the Caroline Islands in the Federated States of Micronesia, the easternmost island in the Germany ruled Saipan from 1899 until 1914, when the Empire of Japan took over the island under a League of Nations mandate. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 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. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Garrison (various spellings (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, "to equip" is the collective term for a body of Troops Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

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. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from Seabees of the U.S. Navy also landed to participate in construction projects. The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. Thousands of civilians died during the battle, many committing suicide by jumping to their deaths. The battle was dramatized in John Woo's 2002 film Windtalkers. John Woo Yu-Sen (born May 1, 1946) is an internationally and critically acclaimed Chinese Film director and producer. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Windtalkers is a 2002 action War film directed by John Woo. Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater star as

The CNMI joined the United States in November 1986. During negotiations, the CNMI and the USA agreed that the CNMI would be exempted from certain federal laws, including some concerning labor and immigration. Federal law is the body of Law created by the Federal government of a country Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term One result was an increase in hotels and tourism. However, dozens of garment factories also opened; clothing manufacture became the island's chief economic force, employing thousands of foreign contract laborers while labeling their goods "made in the U. S. A. ". They continue to supply the U. S. market with low cost garments exempt from US import tariffs. The working conditions and treatment experienced by employees in these factories have been the subject of controversy and criticism (see below). ^[7]

Agriculture and flora

Undeveloped areas on the island are covered with sword grass meadows and dense, dry-forest jungle known as Tangan-Tangan. Sword grass is a name used for some species of grasses with blades that are sharp enough to cut human skin Coconuts, papayas, and Thai hot peppers – locally called "Donne Sali" or "Boonie Peppers" – are among the fruits that grow wild. The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family The papaya (from Carib via Spanish) is the Fruit of the Plant Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. Thai pepper ( Thai: prik ki nu) refers to any of three cultivars of Chili pepper, found commonly in Thailand, and also in neighbouring countries Mango, taro root, and bananas are a few of the many foods cultivated by local families and farmers. Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting Trees in the Flowering plant family Anacardiaceae Taro (from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages) more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian) and gabi in The Philippines, is a For the fruit see Banana. For other meanings see Banana (disambiguation. Sportfishing is excellent offshore, with numerous small boats catching tuna, wahoo, billfish and many other species. Tuna, are several Species of ocean-dwelling Fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. wahoo ( Acanthocybium solandri) is a dark blue scombrid Fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas The term billfish is applied to a number of different large predatory fish characterised by their large size (swordfish can be over 4 metres long and their long sword-like bill

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. Carolinian is an Austronesian language spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands, where it is an official language along with English and Chamorro Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion 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. The modern Japanese music scene includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both traditional and modern ranging from rock electro punk folk metal reggae salsa and tango Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP

Transportation

Travel to and from the island is available from several airlines via Saipan International Airport. Saipan International Airport, also known as Francisco C Ada/Saipan International Airport, is a public Airport located on Saipan Island in the A ferry also operates between Saipan and Tinian, its smaller neighboring island 5 miles to the south. Tinian (ˈtɪniən /ˌtiːniˈɑːn/ is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (14°59’51”N 145°37’39”E Taxis are available.

Economy

The main economic driving force in Saipan is garment manufacturing, driven largely by foreign contract workers (mainly from China). As of March, 2007^[8] 19 companies manufactured garments on Saipan. In addition to many foreign-owned and -run companies, many well-known U. S. brands also operated garment factories in Saipan for much of the last three decades. Brands include Gap (as of 2000 operating 6^[9] factories there), Levi Strauss,^[10] Phillips-Van Heusen,^[11] Abercrombie & Fitch,^[12] L'Oreal subsidiary Ralph Lauren (Polo),^[13] Lord & Taylor,^[14], Tommy Hilfiger and Walmart. The Gap Incorporated ( is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco California, and founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher Levi Strauss, born Löb Strauß, ( February 26, 1829 - September 26, 1902) was a German - Jewish immigrant The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest Cosmetics and Beauty company and is headquartered in the Paris suburb of Clichy, France For the company see Polo Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz on October 14, 1939) is an American Polo Ralph Lauren ( is American Fashion designer Ralph Lauren 's luxury Lifestyle company Lord & Taylor, based in New York, New York, is the oldest upscale Department store chain in the United States. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores ^[15]

Tourism has long been a vital source of the island's revenue, although the industry has undergone a serious decline since the Asian Economic Crisis of the mid-to-late 1990s coupled with local mismanagement of the industry. The Asian Financial Crisis was a period of Financial crisis that gripped much of Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown ( Some major airlines have since ceased regular service to the island. Internationally-known businesses who located to Saipan are struggling and some have gone out of business.

Controversy

Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal

Main article: Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal

Jack Abramoff and his law firm were paid at least $6. The Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal involves the efforts of Jack Abramoff, other lobbyists, and government officials to change or prevent or both Congressional action Jack Abramoff (born February 28 1959 is a former Lobbyist, and a businessman who was a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals. 7 million by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) from 1995 to 2001. The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI is a commonwealth in Political union with the United After Abramoff paid for Tom DeLay and his staffers to go on trips to the CNMI, they crafted policy that extended exemptions from federal immigration, labor, and minimum wage laws to the islands' industries while allowing them to continue manufacturing goods with the "Made in the USA" label. Thomas Dale DeLay (born April 8 1947 is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Sugar Land, Texas. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term Labour law (also known as employment or labor law is the body of Laws administrative rulings and precedents which address the legal rights of and restrictions A minimum wage is the lowest hourly daily or monthly Wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers The Made in USA mark is a Country of origin label indicating the product is "all or virtually all" made in the U Abramoff also negotiated for a $1. 2 million no-bid contract from the Marianas for 'promoting ethics in government' to be awarded to David Lapin, brother of Daniel Lapin. No-bid contract is a popular term for what is officially known as a "sole source contract Abramoff also secretly funded a trip for James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS). James Enos "Jim" Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives For the football player of the same name see Bennie Thompson (American football.

Documentation also indicates that Abramoff's lobbying team helped prepare Rep. Ralph Hall's (R-TX) statements on the house floor in which he attacked the credibility of escaped teenaged sex worker "Katrina," in an attempt to discredit her testimony regarding the state of the sex slave industry on the island. ^[16] Ms. magazine also explored Abramoff's dealings in the CNMI and the plight of garment workers like Katrina in their spring 2006 article "Paradise Lost: Greed, Sex Slavery, Forced Abortions and Right-Wing Moralists."

Later lobbying efforts involved mailings from a Ralph Reed marketing company to Christian conservative voters and bribery of Roger Stillwell, a Department of the Interior official who in 2006 pleaded guilty to accepting gifts from Abramoff. Roger G Stillwell (born October 13, 1939) an American Lobbyist.

Foreign contract labor abuse and exemptions from U. S. federal regulations

Excerpted from "Immigration and the CNMI: A report of the US Commission on Immigration Reform", January 7, 1998:

"The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) immigration system is antithetical to the principals that are at the core of the US immigration policy. Over time, the CNMI has developed an immigration system dominated by the entry of foreign temporary contract workers. These now outnumber US citizens but have few rights within the CNMI and are subject to serious labor and human rights abuses. In contrast to US immigration policy, which admits immigrants for permanent residence and eventual citizenship, the CNMI admits aliens largely as temporary contract workers who are ineligible to gain either US citizenship or civil and social rights within the commonwealth. Only a few countries and no democratic society have immigration policies similar to the CNMI. The closest equivalent is Kuwait. The end result of the CNMI policy is to have a minority population governing and severely limiting the rights of the majority population who are alien in every sense of the word. "

On March 31, 1998,^[17] US Senator Daniel Akaka said:

The Commonwealth shares our American flag, but it does not share the American system of immigration. Daniel Kahikina Akaka (born September 11, 1924) is the junior U There is something fundamentally wrong with a CNMI immigration system that issues permits to recruiters, who in turn promise well-paying American jobs to foreigners in exchange for a $6,000 recruitment fee. When the workers arrive in Saipan, they find their recruiter has vanished and there are no jobs in sight. Hundreds of these destitute workers roam the streets of Saipan with little or no chance of employment and no hope of returning to their homeland. The State Department has confirmed that the government of China is an active participant in the CNMI immigration system. There is something fundamentally wrong with an immigration system that allows the government of China to prohibit Chinese workers from exercising political or religious freedom while employed in United States. Something is fundamentally wrong with a CNMI immigration system that issues entry permits for 12- and 13-year-old girls from the Philippines and other Asian nations, and allows their employers to use them for live sex shows and prostitution. Finally, something is fundamentally wrong when a Chinese construction worker asks if he can sell one of his kidneys for enough money to return to China and escape the deplorable working conditions in the Commonwealth and the immigration system that brought him there. There are voices in the CNMI telling us that the cases of worker abuse we keep hearing about are isolated examples, that the system is improving, and that worker abuse is a thing of the past. These are the same voices that reap the economic benefits of a system of indentured labor that enslaves thousands of foreign workers -- a system described in a bi-partisan study as "an unsustainable economic, social and political system that is antithetical to most American values. " There is overwhelming evidence that abuse in the CNMI occurs on a grand scale and the problems are far from isolated.

In 1991,^[18] Levi Strauss was embarrassed by a scandal involving six subsidiary factories run on Saipan by the Tan Holdings Corporation. Levi Strauss, born Löb Strauß, ( February 26, 1829 - September 26, 1902) was a German - Jewish immigrant It was revealed that Chinese laborers in those factories suffered under what the U. S. Department of Labor called "slavelike" conditions. Cited for sub-minimal wages, seven-day work week schedules with twelve-hour shifts, poor living conditions and other indignities (including the alleged removal of passports and the virtual imprisonment of workers), Tan would eventually pay what was then the largest fines in U. S. labor history, distributing more than $9 million in restitution to some 1200 employees. [1][2][3] At the time, Tan factories produced 3% of Levi's jeans with the "Made in the U. S. A. " label. Levi Strauss claimed that it had no knowledge of the offenses, severed ties to the Tan family, and instituted labor reforms and inspection practices in its offshore facilities.

In 1999, Sweatshop Watch, Global Exchange, Asian Law Caucus, Unite, and the garment workers themselves filed three separate lawsuits in class-action suits on behalf of roughly 30,000 garment workers in Saipan. The defendants included 27 U. S. retailers and 23 Saipan garment factories. By 2004, they had won a 20 million dollar settlement against all but one of the defendants. ^[19]

Levi Strauss was the only successful defendant, winning the case against them in 2004. Levi Strauss, born Löb Strauß, ( February 26, 1829 - September 26, 1902) was a German - Jewish immigrant ^[20]

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. This article provides a list of major political scandals of the United States. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Thomas Dale DeLay (born April 8 1947 is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Sugar Land, Texas. Lobbying includes all attempts to influence Legislators and officials whether by other legislators constituents or organized groups Jack Abramoff (born February 28 1959 is a former Lobbyist, and a businessman who was a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals. 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".

On February 8, 2007, the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources received testimony about federalizing CNMI labor and immigration.

On July 19, 2007,^[21] Deputy Assistant Secretary of Insular Affairs David B. Cohen testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Regarding S. David B Cohen ( 1941 - 2004) was an American Psychology professor 1634 (The Northern Mariana Islands Covenant Implementation Act). ^[22] He said:

Congress has the authority to make immigration and naturalization laws applicable to the CNMI. Through the bill that we are discussing today, Congress is proposing to take this legislative step to bring the immigration system of the CNMI under Federal administration. [. . . ] [S]erious problems continue to plague the CNMI’s administration of its immigration system, and we remain concerned that the CNMI’s rapidly deteriorating fiscal situation may make it even more difficult for the CNMI government to devote the resources necessary to effectively administer its immigration system and to properly investigate and prosecute labor abuse. [. . . ] While we congratulate the CNMI for its recent successful prosecution of a case in which foreign women were pressured into prostitution, human trafficking remains far more prevalent in the CNMI than it is in the rest of the U. S. During the twelve-month period ending on April 30, 2007, 36 female victims of human trafficking were admitted to or otherwise served by Guma’ Esperansa, a women’s shelter operated by a Catholic nonprofit organization. All of these victims were in the sex trade. Secretary Kempthorne personally visited the shelter and met with a number of women from the Philippines who were underage when they were trafficked into the CNMI for the sex industry. [. . . I]t is clear that local control over CNMI immigration has resulted in a human trafficking problem that is proportionally much greater than the problem in the rest of the U. S. A number of foreign nationals have come to the Federal Ombudsman’s office complaining that they were promised a job in the CNMI after paying a recruiter thousands of dollars to come there, only to find, upon arrival in the CNMI, that there was no job. Secretary Kempthorne met personally with a young lady from China who was the victim of such a scam and who was pressured to become a prostitute; she was able to report her situation and obtain help in the Federal Ombudsman’s office. We believe that steps need to be taken to protect women from such terrible predicaments. We are also concerned about recent attempts to smuggle foreign nationals, in particular Chinese nationals, from the CNMI into Guam by boat. A woman was recently sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to smuggle over 30 Chinese nationals from the CNMI into Guam.

Contract laborers arriving from China are usually required to pay their (Chinese National) recruitment agents fees equal to a year's total salary^[23] (roughly $3,500) and occasionally as high as two years' salary,^[24] though the contracts are only one-year contracts, renewable at the employer's discretion.

60% of the population of the CNMI is contract workers. These workers cannot vote. They are not represented, and can be deported if they lose their jobs. Meanwhile, the minimum wage remains well below that on the U. S. mainland, and abuses of vulnerable workers are commonplace. ^[25]

In John Bowe's 2007 book Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, he provides a focus on Saipan, exploring how its culture, isolation and American ties have made it a favorable environment for exploitative garment manufacturers and corrupt politicos. John Bowe (born 1964 in Minnesota) is an author who has contributed to The New Yorker, The American Prospect, Bowe additionally describes the factories karaoke bars, and strip joints with ties to politicos. Bowe depicts Saipan as a vulnerable, truly suffering community, where poverty rates have climbed as high as 35 percent.

Other local issues

Despite an annual rainfall of 80 to 100 inches (2,000 to 2,500 mm), 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. Reverse osmosis (RO is a separation process that uses pressure to force a Solution through a membrane that retains the Solute on one side and allows the In addition, many homes and small businesses augment the sporadic and sometimes brackish water provided by CUC with rainwater collected and stored in cisterns. Most locals buy drinking water from water distributors and use tap water only for bathing or washing.

Saipan also has a place in many Irish people's minds, after “The Saipan Incident”, a bitter and public falling-out between Republic of Ireland football (soccer) star Roy Keane and Ireland manager Mick McCarthy which took place before the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The Saipan Incident was a serious public quarrel in May 2002 between Republic of Ireland national football team 's captain Roy Keane The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in international football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971 in Mayfield, Cork) is an Irish former professional footballer and the current manager of Michael Joseph "Mick" McCarthy (b 7 February 1959 Barnsley, England) is an English-born Irish former professional footballer, who is currently The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30.

Saipansucks.com, an anonymously-written website which criticizes the government, culture, and indigenous residents of the island, gained the attention of the local media in 2001 and regional and international media in 2006. Saipan Sucks (SaipanSuckscom is a politically and Socially Critical website about the United States 's Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Demographics

According to the last census in 2000,^[26] the population of Saipan was 62,392. Mono-racial people totaled 56,355, and their demographic breakdown in descending order by category was as follows:

Asians numbered 35,985, comprising 57. 7% of the population.

• Filipino: 16,280 (26. 1%)
• Chinese: 15,040 (24. 1%)
• Korean: 1,945 (3. 1%)
• Other Asian ethnicities: 962 (1. 5%)
• Japanese: 898 (1. 4%)
• Bangladeshi: 690 (1. 1%)
• Nepalese: 170 (0. 3%)

Pacific Islanders numbered 18,781, comprising 30. 1% of the population.

• Chamorro: 11,644 (18. 7%)
• Carolinian: 2,645 (4. 2%)
• Palauan: 1,642 (2. 6%)
• Chuukese: 1,382 (2. 2%)
• Pohnpeian: 614 (1. 0%)
• Other Pacific Islander ethnicities: 502 (0. 8%)
• Yapese: 192 (0. 3%)
• Marshallese: 109 (0. 2%)
• Kosraean: 51 (0. 1%)

People of two or more races or ethnic groups numbered 6,037, comprising 9. 7% of the population.

Whites numbered 1,121, comprising 1. 8% of the population.

Other races/ethnic groups numbered 435, comprising 0. 7% of the population.

Blacks numbered 33, comprising 0. 1% of the population.

45. 2% of the population was male, 54. 8% was female. The median age of the island's population was 28. 7, which is higher than in most other Oceanic regions due to its volume of foreign workers. ^[27]

The population rose 18% (9,694) since the previous census in 1995. ^[28]

Education

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System serves Saipan. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System is a School district serving the Northern Mariana Islands, a territory of the United States

Northern Marianas College is a two-year community college serving the Northern Mariana Islands. Northern Marianas College ( NMC) is a two-year Community college located in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (

Notable residents from the mainland United States

• Larry Hillblom - 1980s-1995
• Guy Gabaldon - 1926 - 2006

Appearances in fiction

Saipan was a major part of the plot in the Tom Clancy novel Debt of Honor. Larry Lee Hillblom (1943 - 1995 was an American businessman and a co-founder of DHL Worldwide Express a shipping company PFC Guy Louis Gabaldon ( March 22, 1926 &ndash August 31, 2006) was a United States Marine who was credited with capturing (or persuading Thomas Leo Clancy Jr (born April 12 1947) is an American author best known for his technically detailed espionage and Military science storylines Debt of Honor ( 1994) is a Novel by Tom Clancy. It is a continuation of the series featuring his character Jack Ryan. The island is invaded by Japan, as part of a systematic attack on the United States. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Much of the action in 2002 film Windtalkers takes place during the invasion of Saipan during World War II. Windtalkers is a 2002 action War film directed by John Woo. Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater star as

See also

• Commonwealth (United States insular area)
• Garapan
• Kalabera
• List of Registered Historic Places in the Northern Mariana Islands
• List of villages in the Marianas
• Northern Marianas College
• Pedro A. Tenorio
• Saipan International Airport
• Susupe

External links

• Saipan Municipality, United States Census Bureau

• Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs Links to cultural and informational sites about the CNMI as well as to government sites
• Saipan Tribune
• KSPN Channel 2
• Marianas Variety
• Food for Thought - Transcripts of the Harry Blalock radio program on CNMI society
• [1] - Listing of documented foreign contract labor abuses in Saipan

References

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