ceivers (1982); radio link service with Sydney; 987 telephones
(1983); broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV

:Norfolk Island Defense Forces

Note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia

:Northern Mariana Islands Geography

Total area:
477 km2
Land area:
477 km2; comprises 16 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian
Comparative area:
slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
1,482 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
12 nm
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth)
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
3 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal
temperature variation; dry season December to July, rainy season July to
October
Terrain:
southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs;
northern islands are volcanic; highest elevation is 471 meters (Mt. Tagpochu
on Saipan)
Natural resources:
arable land, fish
Land use:
arable land 1%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures 19%; forest and
woodland NA%; other NA%
Environment:
active volcanos on Pagan and Agrihan; subject to typhoons during the rainy
season
Note:
strategic location 5,635 km west-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific
Ocean, about three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and the Philippines

:Northern Mariana Islands People

Population:
47,168 (July 1992), growth rate 3.0% (1992)
Birth rate:
35 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
38 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
66 years male, 69 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.7 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
undetermined
Ethnic divisions:
Chamorro majority; Carolinians and other Micronesians; Spanish, German,
Japanese admixtures
Religions:
Christian with a Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and
taboos may still be found
Languages:
English, but Chamorro and Carolinian are also spoken in the home and taught
in school
Literacy:
96% (male 97%, female 96%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
Labor force:
12,788 local; 18,799 foreign workers (1990 est.)
Organized labor:
NA

:North