st point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m

Natural resources:
arable land, fish

Land use:
arable land: 13.04%
permanent crops: 4.35%
other: 82.61% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August
to November)

Environment - current issues:
contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease;
clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts
with development

Geography - note:
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean

People Northern Mariana Islands

Population:
80,362 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.9% (male 8,332/female 7,646)
15-64 years: 78.5% (male 26,121/female 36,982)
65 years and over: 1.6% (male 646/female 635) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 29.33 years
male: 31.54 years
female: 28.33 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.61% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
19.51 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
2.3 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
8.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.71 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 0.78 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.88 years
male: 73.31 years
female: 78.61 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.27 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: NA
adjective: NA

Ethnic groups:
Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%,
mixed 4.8% (2000 census)

Religions:
Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs
and taboos may still be found)

Languages:
Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English
10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 96% (1980 est.)

Government Northern Mariana Islands

Country name:
conventional long