50-521: American Memorial Park on the island of Saipan , Northern Mariana Islands , United States , was created as a memorial honoring the sacrifices made during the Marianas Campaign of World War II . Recreational facilities, a World War II museum and flag monument keep alive the memory of over 4,000 United States military personnel and local islanders who died in June 1944. The park is owned by
100-735: A Territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean . According to 2020 estimates by the United States Census Bureau , the population of Saipan was 43,385. Its people have been United States citizens since the 1980s. Saipan is one of the main homes of the Chamorro , the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands . Saipan has been inhabited for over four thousand years. From the 17th century,
150-507: 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. Kalabera Cave Kalabera Cave
200-415: A diverse collection of CNMI artists, released by 11th World Productions. The CD features artists ranging from Church choral works, to mellow acoustic works, and underground island hip-hop. Local television stations on Saipan are the following: Travel to and from the island is available from nine international airlines via Saipan International Airport . A small airline based on Tinian flies small twins to
250-456: A few of the many foods cultivated by local families and farmers. Saipan is home to multiple endemic bird species. Among them: the Mariana fruit dove , white-throated ground dove , bridled white-eye , golden white-eye , Micronesian myzomela and the endangered Saipan reed warbler . The island used to have a large population of giant African land snails , introduced either deliberately as
300-478: A food source, or accidentally by shipping, which became an agricultural pest. In the last few decades, its numbers have been substantially controlled by an introduced flatworm , Platydemus manokwari . Saipan has a borderline tropical rainforest climate ( Köppen Af )/ tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am ), moderated by seasonal trade winds from the northeast from November to March, and easterly winds from May to October. Average year-round maximum temperature
350-413: A remnant of a stratified composite volcanic cone whose Eocene center was not far north of the present peak. Saipan has some additional semi-attached islets, one of which being Bird Island, which is a nature reserve for birds. It is connected to Saipan only at low tide. Forbidden Island is similar, but larger on the south east side of Saipan. Mañagaha is a small 100 acre island off the west coast, and
400-519: A significant loss of land and rights for the Chamorro natives. The Caroline Islands had suffered a devastating typhoon that destroyed their crops. The leader of this company was an individual named "Chief Aghurubw," who sailed to Guam to ask the Spanish governor permission to settle on the islands. The Spaniards allowed Chief Aghurubw to settle on the island of Saipan. The Marianas archipelago was under
450-567: Is 84 °F or 28.9 °C. There is little seasonal temperature variation, and Saipan has been cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the least fluctuating temperatures in the world. However, the temperature is affected by elevation; hence, the island shows considerable variations between the coastal and mountainous areas. The drier season runs from December to June and the rainier season from July to November. Typhoon season runs from July to December, and Saipan, along with
500-567: Is a popular tourist destination. Access is by ferry, which is about ten minutes from the mainland. An underwater limestone cavern called the Grotto, is up to 20 meters (70 feet) deep. The flora of Saipan is predominantly limestone forest . Some developed areas on the island are covered with Leucaena leucocephala , also known as "tangan-tangan" trees, which were spread broadly sometime after World War II . Tangan-Tangan trees were introduced, primarily, as an erosion-prevention mechanism, due to
550-480: Is an underground chamber in Kalabera , Saipan . There is a trail, ramp at the cave's entrance, pictographic and petroglyph interpretive panels, prayer or offering area, replica latte huts, and landscaping in the surrounding area. The site was used as a prehistoric burial site. There are more than forty-five prehistoric petroglyphs and rock engravings in the cave, measuring between 5 and 10 inches in size. Most of
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#1732772992965600-756: Is little to no public transportation on Saipan. Cars are the transportation of choice with motorcycles being the only other truly viable transportation method while bicycles are only viable in certain areas. Proper sidewalks are uncommon on the island with the majority located in Garapan and several at the corner turns of stoplights. The island of Saipan has a total of 30 "official" villages. However, there are many sub-areas and neighborhoods located in certain villages such as Afetnas in San Antonio and Tapochau and I Denne in Capitol Hill. Those marked "SV:" are
650-514: Is separated by the Saipan Channel . Saipan is about 12 mi (19 km) long and 5.6 mi (9.0 km) wide, with a land area of 115.38 km (44.55 sq mi). The western side of the island is lined with sandy beaches and an offshore coral reef creates a large lagoon . The eastern shore is composed primarily of rugged rocky cliffs and a reef. A narrow underwater bank of Marpi Reef lies 28 mi (45 km) north of
700-477: Is topped by a statue of Jesus Christ. Last Command Post (War history site of a Japanese command post in the WW2 Battle of Saipan), Bird Island Sanctuary beach (beach by Bird Island sanctuary), faces east. There is also a Bird Island observatory to the south for observing the birds), Forbidden Island, a small island that is connected to Saipan at low tide and can be hiked onto, but at high tide the water separates
750-761: The Chamorro language , the island is called Saipan . Carolinian people who wished to claim prior inhabitance of the island have asserted that the name derives from the Carolinian word sááypéél (literal meaning, "a voyage empty"), in reference to a legendary Carolinian voyage of discovery of the primordial island. Traces of human settlements on Saipan have been found by archaeologists ranging over 4,000 years, including petroglyphs , ancient Latte Stones , and other artifacts pointing to cultural affinities with Melanesia and with similar stone monuments in Micronesia and Palau . Saipan, together with Tinian,
800-606: The Naval Advance Base Saipan from 1962 to 1986 was the headquarters for the U.N Trusteeship. East Field airbase was used as an airport until the 1960s, after its military use ended in 1946. Later on the area was made into a golf course. The Northern Mariana islanders voted to join the United States in 1975, and the island became a municipality of the newly-formed Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in 1978. On November 4, 1986,
850-512: The South Seas Mandate . Militarily and economically, Saipan was one of the most important islands in the mandate and became the center of subsequent Japanese settlement. Immigration began in the 1920s by ethnic Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese and Okinawans , who developed large-scale sugar plantations. The South Seas Development Company built sugar refineries and—under Japanese rule—extensive infrastructure development occurred, including
900-755: The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands , and was administered by the United States, along with rest of the Northern Marianas. In 1978, Saipan formally joined the United States as part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Today, Saipan is home to about 90% of the population of the Northern Mariana Islands. It hosts many resorts, golf courses, beaches, nature sites, and WW2 historical sites. The legislative and executive branches of Commonwealth government are located in
950-475: 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
1000-474: The CNMI. The closest equivalent is Kuwait. The 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, US Senator Daniel Akaka said: The Commonwealth shares our American flag, but it does not share the American system of immigration. There is something fundamentally wrong with
1050-581: 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 principles 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
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#17327729929651100-518: The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and businesses on Saipan, its capital, commercial center, and one of its three principal islands. Later lobbying efforts involved mailings from a Ralph Reed marketing company and bribery of Roger Stillwell, a Department of the Interior official who in 2006 pleaded guilty to accepting gifts from Abramoff. Excerpted from "Immigration and
1150-610: The Government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the national memorial is managed in cooperation with the National Park Service as an affiliated area. It has facilities for baseball , bicycling , running , tennis , picnicking , and swimming . Saipan Saipan ( / s aɪ ˈ p æ n / ) is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands ,
1200-513: The Saipan, and CK Reef lies in the west of the island. The highest elevation on Saipan is a limestone-covered mountain called Mount Tapochau at 1,560 ft (480 m). Unlike many of the mountains in the Mariana Islands, it is not an extinct volcano but is a limestone formation. 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
1250-476: The U.S. Navy also landed, to initiate construction projects. With the capture of Saipan, the American military was only 1,300 miles (2,100 km) from the Japanese home islands , which placed most Japanese cities within striking distance of United States' B-29 Superfortress bombers. The loss of Saipan was a heavy blow to both the military and civilian administration of Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō , who
1300-519: The U.S.A." and the clothing shipped to the U.S. market was also exempt from U.S. tariffs. By 1998, the island's garment industry exported close to $ 1 billion worth of apparel products to the mainland. The working conditions and treatment experienced by employees in these factories were the subject of controversy and criticism. When the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) expired in 2005, thus eliminating quotas on textile exports to
1350-573: The United States, Saipan's garment factories started closing one after another. From a high of 34 garment factories in the late 1990s, By March 2007, 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 included Gap , Levi Strauss , Phillips-Van Heusen , Abercrombie & Fitch , L'Oreal subsidiary Ralph Lauren ( Polo ), Lord & Taylor , Tommy Hilfiger , and Walmart . By January 15, 2009,
1400-560: The construction of port facilities, waterworks, power stations, paved roads and schools, along with entertainment facilities and Shinto shrines . By October 1943, Saipan had a civilian population of 29,348 Japanese settlers and 3,926 Chamorro and Carolinian Islanders. Japan considered Saipan to be part of the last line of defenses for the Japanese homeland, and thus had strongly committed to defending it. The Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy garrisoned Saipan heavily from
1450-416: The decimation of the landscape brought on by World War II. Remaining native forest occurs in small isolated fragments on steep slopes at low elevations and highland conservation areas of the island. Coconuts , papayas , and Thai hot peppers – locally called "donni' såli" or "boonie peppers" – are among the fruits that grow wild. Mangoes , taro root, breadfruit (locally called "Lemai"), and bananas are
1500-671: The island experienced Spanish occupation and rule until the Spanish–American War of 1898, when Saipan was briefly occupied by the United States , before being formally sold to Germany . About 15 years of German rule were followed by 30 years of Japanese rule , which was ended by the Battle of Saipan , as the United States began to take control of the Philippine Sea . Following World War II , Saipan became part of
1550-522: The island from the Japanese. The battle cost the Americans 3,426 killed and 10,364 wounded. Of the estimated 30,000 Japanese defenders, only 921 were taken prisoner. The weapons used, and the tactics of close quarter fighting, also resulted in high civilian casualties. Some 20,000 Japanese civilians perished during the battle, including over 1,000 who jumped from " Suicide Cliff " and " Banzai Cliff " rather than be caught and taken prisoner. Seabees of
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1600-761: The island in February 1600 and whose survivors stayed on it for two years, until 250 were rescued by the Santo Tomas and the Jesus María . The Spanish formally occupied the island in 1668, with the missionary expedition of Diego Luis de San Vitores who named it San José . After 1670, it became a port of call for Portuguese, Spanish, occasional English, Dutch and French ships as a supply station for food and water. The native population shrank dramatically due to European-introduced diseases and conflicts over land. The Chamorros were forcibly relocated to Guam fearing
1650-593: The island's last garment factory shuttered their doors. On November 28, 2009, the federal government took control of immigration to the Northern Mariana Islands. More recently, casino gaming has come to Saipan with at least five casinos now operating on the island. As of 2016, Imperial Pacific International Holdings , a Chinese company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (but majority owned by billionaire businesswoman Cui Lijie ), which develops and operates casinos, hotels, and restaurants in CNMI,
1700-479: The islanders of the Northern Marianas including Saipan became United States citizens and the Northern Marianas formally became a part of the United States of America. This meant that U.S. citizens could visit or live in Saipan and the rest of the CNMI without a passport and vice versa. Saipan is the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is about 120 mi (190 km) north of Guam and 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) northeast of Tinian , from which it
1750-418: The islands of the Northern Marianas, typically short flights from island to island and Guam. A ferry once operated between Saipan and Tinian but was halted in 2010, reportedly for maintenance, and was never reinstated. One of the island's two main thoroughfares, Beach Road, is located on the western coast of Saipan. At some parts of the road, the beach is only a few feet away. Flame trees and pine trees line
1800-501: The largest casinos in Macau, leading to accusations of money laundering. There has been criticism by local doctors after dead and seriously injured Chinese workers have appeared at the hospital, often illegally working under tourist visas. Jack Abramoff and his law firm were paid at least $ 6.7 million by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) from 1995 to 2001 to change and/or prevent Congressional action regarding
1850-470: The late 1930s, building numerous coastal artillery batteries, shore defenses, underground fortifications and an airstrip. In mid-1944, nearly 30,000 troops were based on the island. The Battle of Saipan , from June 15 to July 9, 1944, was one of the major campaigns of World War II . The United States Marine Corps and United States Army landed on the beaches of the south-western side of the island and, after more than three weeks in heavy fighting, captured
1900-584: The main economic driving forces in Saipan when the U.S. government agreed that the CNMI would be exempted from certain federal minimum wage and immigration laws. While one result of these changes was an increase in hotels and tourism, the main consequence was that dozens of garment factories opened and clothing manufacturing became the island's chief economic force, employing thousands of foreign contract laborers (mostly young Chinese women) at low wages. The manufacturers could legally label these low cost garments "Made in
1950-804: The protectorate of the Spanish General Government of the Philippines; the Guardia Civil and Macabebe soldiers of the Province of Pampanga frequently made port calls to the islands to ensure law and order. After the Spanish–American War of 1898, Saipan was occupied by the United States. However, it was then sold by Spain to the German Empire under the terms of the German–Spanish Treaty of 1899. The island
2000-738: The rest of the Mariana Islands, is subject to at least one typhoon each year. Music on Saipan can generally be broken down into three categories: local, mainland American, and Asian. Local consists of Chamorro , Carolinian , Micronesian Hawaiian Reggae and Palauan music, often with traditional dance for many occasions. Mainland American consists of much of the same music that can be found on U.S. radio. Asian consists of Japanese , Korean , Thai and Philippine music, among others. There are seven radio stations on Saipan, which play mainly popular and classic English-language songs as well as local and Philippine music. In 2017, an album called Music Of The Marianas: Made In Saipan Vol.1 , featured 20 songs from
2050-714: The sighting of the Maug Islands between the end of August and the end of September 1522. Gonzalo de Vigo deserted in the Maugs from Gomez de Espinosa's Trinidad and during the next four years, living with the local indigenous Chamorro people , visited thirteen main islands in the Marianas and possibly Saipan among them. The first clear evidence of Europeans arriving to Saipan was by the Manila galleon Santa Margarita commanded by Juan Martínez de Guillistegui, that wrecked on
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2100-478: The spread of leprosy in 1720 for better control and assimilation. Under Spanish rule, the island was developed into ranches for raising cattle and pigs, which were used as provision for Spanish galleons originating from the Philippines on their way to Mexico and vice versa. Around 1815, many Carolinians from Satawal settled Saipan during a period when the Chamorros were imprisoned on Guam, which resulted in
2150-459: The street. The street also connects more than six villages that lie on the western coast of the island. Middle Road is the island's largest road and runs through its central section. Like Beach Road, Middle Road connects several villages throughout the island. Several offices, shops, hotels, and residences lie on or nearby these highways. Middle Road is labeled "Chalan Pale Arnold" on maps, but very few people call it that. Aside from school buses, there
2200-456: The sub-villages. Noted tourist destinations on Saipan include Managaha Island (100 acre tropical beach island visited by ferry), American Memorial Park and Micro Beach, a 1 km beach on the west side, making it possible to see the sun set., Latte Stones (old stones structures from the island's past), Mount Tapochau (highest point with views of Saipan), this site is known for its views and its possible to see other islands on clear day and
2250-501: The two. The island also features a lookout., Japanese Lighthouse (a lighthouse built in 1934 when the Northern Marianas were in the Japanese Mandate, currently a cafe with island views), NMI Museum of History and Culture , and The Grotto, a large underwater limestone cavern. Tourism had traditionally been a vital source of the island's revenue and economic activities. But in the 1980s, garment manufacturing became one of
2300-441: The village of Capitol Hill on the island while the judicial branch is headquartered in the village of Susupe . Since the entire island is organized as a single municipality , most publications designate Saipan as the Commonwealth's capital. As of 2023, Saipan's mayor is Ramon Camacho and the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands is Arnold Palacios . Saipan was hit by Typhoon Yutu in 2018, which caused widespread damage. In
2350-581: Was administered by Germany as part of German New Guinea , but during the German period, there was no attempt to develop or settle the island, which remained under the control of its Spanish and mestizo landowners. In 1914, during World War I , the island was captured by the Empire of Japan . Japan was awarded formal control of the island in 1919 by the League of Nations as a part of its mandated territory of
2400-566: Was forced to resign. The wartime history is interpreted on Saipan at American Memorial Park and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History and Culture. After the war, nearly all of the surviving Japanese settlers were repatriated to Japan. After World War II, Saipan became part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands , administered by the United States. The U.S. bases on Saipan closed or were converted to other purposes, for example
2450-527: Was possibly first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of Ferdinand Magellan , when it made a landing in the southern Marianas on March 6, 1521. It is likely Saipan was sighted by Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa in 1522 on board of Spanish ship Trinidad , which he commanded after the death of Ferdinand Magellan who died in the Battle of Mactan in Cebu, Philippines. This is likely to have occurred after
2500-551: Was reportedly the largest taxpayer in Saipan. In 2014, Imperial Pacific was granted a 25-year license to build and operate casinos on Saipan with an option to extend the license for another 15 years. The Imperial Pacific Resort, still unfinished as of June 2019, is set to include a luxury hotel, casino, restaurants, retail space, and leisure facilities. The complex was supposed to be completed by August 2018. The existing casinos are already handling over $ 2 billion monthly in VIP bets, more than
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