For citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus a visa for a trip to the Northern Mariana Islands needed in 2020. Visa-free entry to the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as Guam and Saipan was canceled on October 3, 2019.

The Mariana Trench and Everest - most people remember these names from the school geography course. The first is the deepest point on the planet, the second is the deepest high mountain. Height and depth are measured from ocean level. In absolute terms, the most deep depression overtakes the highest peak by a significant margin.

The Mariana Trench on the world map should be looked for in the Pacific Ocean northeast of the Philippine archipelago (southeast of Japanese islands), it is a semicircular trough approximately 1,500 km long, with its convex part directed to the east. The deepest point of the trough is called "Challenger Abyss" and is 10,994 meters deep.

The Mariana Trench is named after the adjacent Mariana Islands, which stretch along the western part of the trench. Guam Island, the closest to the Challenger Deep, is located 340 km northeast of it. Coordinates of the deepest point of the oceans: 11°22’23.9″N, 142°35’30.1″E.

The trench is located at the junction of two tectonic plates, and its relief is a relatively flat bottom strip no wider than 5 km between two steep slopes. In places along its length, the bottom has a stepped structure and mountain ranges. The water pressure at the lowest point is approximately 108 MPa, which is 1,072 times the normal atmospheric pressure.

The hollow was first discovered by the English sailing and steam corvette Challenger during the world's first integrated oceanographic expedition in 1875. The depth was then determined twice with the results of 8,367 m and 8,184 m, which made it possible to call this depression the deepest on the planet. In 1951, the British scientific vessel Challenger II conducted an ocean survey in these places.

With the help of an echo sounder, a depth of 10,899 m was recorded. This point was given the name of the ship. Over the following years, new measurements were taken, the depth was corrected several times in both directions, the last value of 10,994 m was recorded in 2011.

The difficulty of measuring the depth of such scales with an echo sounder lies in the dependence of the speed of sound waves in water, on its properties (density, temperature, chemical composition, impurities). These properties are different depending on the depth. To obtain accurate values, it is necessary to take water samples from different depths, analyze them and take into account the data in subsequent measurements.

For the first time, the bathyscaphe Trieste sank to the bottom of the depression (10,915 m) in 1960 with two researchers on board (US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss oceanologist Jacques Picard). Then several times autonomous dives were made by unmanned vehicles, and the Japanese Kaiko probe in 1995 took the first soil samples from a depth of 10911 m.

In 2012, the famous director James Cameron for the first time in history alone made a dive to the bottom, having been there for a total of 6 hours. Subsequently, a 3D film about the history of this dive called "Challenge to the Abyss" was released. It is worth mentioning that famous traveler Fedor Konyukhov in 2020 also announced his intention to dive to the bottom of this depression.

Fauna of the Mariana Trench

Sunlight cannot penetrate to a depth of more than 1000 m, eternal darkness reigns there. Along with the colossal pressure, this makes living conditions in the abyss extremely difficult. Nevertheless, the Mariana Trench is inhabited. The bottom is covered with silt, which, as the first samples showed, is saturated with shell organisms; huge armored amoebas (up to 10 cm in diameter) were also found here.

In addition to the simplest barophilic bacteria, crayfish, gastropods, holothurians, and fish live here. Even during the first visual observations from the Trieste bathyscaphe, small fish resembling a flounder were seen. The specifics of the conditions make the appearance of many local fish amazing: they have huge teeth, eyes rotating in different directions (or their absence), instead of fins there are sharp spikes.

Worms up to 2 m long, not yet identified, are also found here. There are no algae at such depths, and the food source for the protozoa is the remains falling to the bottom (detritus). Recent studies have shown that the bodies of local small crustaceans contain many heavy metals that are extremely toxic to ordinary living cells.

In general, the fauna of the Mariana Trench is poorly studied, many scientists believe that species that have long been extinct on Earth can be found there.

For example, the teeth of a giant shark, the megalodon, were recently found. It is believed that these monsters, which weighed up to 100 tons, died out about 2 million years ago, while the age of the teeth found is from 11 to 24 thousand years.

Research has been accompanied by various mystery stories: obscure huge shadows resembling dragons appear on the monitors, a loud metallic rattle is heard, and once, according to the team of the German deep-sea apparatus Highfish, they saw a creature on the infrared camera monitor, clinging its teeth to a bathyscaphe, it had to be scared away by an electric discharge.

There are 15 large islands, there are also several small rocks and reefs. The population is about 215,000 people. The nationality of the indigenous people is the Chamorro, and their language is also called. It is believed that the Chamorros are descendants of ancient settlers from the Philippines. Currently, there are practically no true representatives of this people; everyone who calls themselves Chamorro is mestizo.

The state affiliation of the Mariana Islands is not as easy to determine as it might seem. The southernmost island, Guam, has an independent status, it is an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, that is, the island is not included in the United States, but its territory is considered American, and the islanders (more than 180,000 people) have US citizenship. The capital is the city of Hagatna, located on the western coast.

The Northern Mariana Islands constitute a separate administrative entity - the Commonwealth, the state status is completely similar to Guam (freely associated with the United States). main island- Saipan, the capital is called the same.

The first Europeans to discover these lands were members of Magellan's team, who anchored here in 1521. The meeting with the natives ended in the loss of the ship's boat. Frustrated, Magellan gave the archipelago the name "Islands of Thieves" (de los Ladrones, Ladrones), which existed until the beginning of the 20th century.

The islands were immediately declared the property of Spain. A few decades later, colonialists began to come here. As was often the case, the missionaries arrived first. It was they who gave the territories a modern name in honor of the Spanish Queen Marianna, since then the Mariana Islands on the map are called that way. Colonization did not go smoothly. As a result of armed clashes and prolonged repressions, the indigenous population decreased 30 times 200 years after visiting Magellan.

In 1899, the Northern Mariana Islands were sold to Germany, and at the beginning of the First World War, Japan occupied the entire archipelago. In 1944, US troops landed on the island of Saipan, long bloody battles began with numerous casualties, only about 40,000 people died on local residents.

Americans equipped on the island of Tinian military base from which the bombers took off, dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the end of the war, the archipelago was for some time under the control of the UN, and in 1947 it was transferred to the custody of the United States.

US citizens do not need a visa to visit the Mariana Islands, and the presence of an American visa in the passport serves as a pass to these territories for citizens of other countries.

Money currency is the US dollar.

Perhaps one of the most mysterious places on the earth map Mariana Islands. This place, which is sometimes referred to as one of the best preserved mysterious corners of America, attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists with its unique nature and many historical sites.

Mariana Islands on the world map

Remoteness of the Mariana Islands from « mainland» makes them unique place where an atmosphere of peace and absolute carelessness reigns. real paradise for lovers of magnificent panoramas, unique sunsets and crystal clear air.

Where are they?

The Mariana Islands are a small Island state, whose territory covers 15 islands of the archipelago of the same name. They are located at the western end of the Pacific Ocean, in a region called micronesia.

Most travelers come here in search of solitude from the noise of megacities and in order to see with their own eyes the monuments of the "Battle of the Pacific" during the Second World War.

The islands of the archipelago are located in such a way that they form two chains with a total length of more than 700 kilometers.

Due to the peculiarities of its geographical position, the Mariana Archipelago does not have clear borders with neighboring states. To the south of it are caroline islands (Federated States Micronesia). The conditional natural boundary separating the Philippine Sea from the Pacific Ocean passes at the location of the Mariana Islands.

Relief

Mariana archipelago consists of two chains located from the north and south. In the northern chain, most of the islands are cones formed as a result of volcanic activity over 900 meters high. Note that some of them are small. active volcanoes. The islands in the southern chain are partly volcanic, partly formed by corals.

The nature of the Mariana Islands is typical for the region of the tropics, there are many places where the human foot has hardly set foot. The coral reefs of the Marianas amaze with their splendor and fantastic shapes, and deepest place on the planet - 11-kilometer Mariana Trench is located just a few tens of kilometers from the archipelago.

The coastal waters abound with fish, the beaches stretch for thousands of meters, and the rich undersea world and strives to show all its splendor to lovers of diving and snorkeling.

Climate

The climate of the Mariana Islands is characterized as humid, tropical ocean.

The average air temperature in the daytime fluctuates around +28/+33 degrees Celsius, and at night it drops by only a few degrees to +23/+25 degrees.

Humidity quite high and reaches 75-85%. Two seasons are clearly distinguished: in the period from to the wind season begins in this area, and from to the time of typhoons begins.

How to get from Russia?

The easiest way to get here is from some countries in Asia (, Japan, South Korea) or from , therefore, among vacationers in the Mariana Islands, Japanese and Americans.

Due to the remoteness of the Mariana Islands from no direct flights in this direction.

To the airport of the main island of the archipelago - Saipan– can be reached by plane of Asian airlines. Transfers to flights in this direction are carried out in Shanghai, Tokyo or. The duration of such a flight will be about 16 hours, and this is without taking into account flight connections.

Choose plane tickets using this search form. Enter departure and arrival cities, date, number of passengers.

State structure

Picturesque coral reefs, offshore fishing, surfing and diving are all available today in abundance. But not all the time, life seemed like a fairy tale to the inhabitants of the Mariana Islands.

Story

The development of the Northern Mariana Islands took place many centuries ago - around 500 AD, the first settlers appeared here - Chamorro tribes having some kinship with the modern peoples of Polynesia. They were experienced sailors, actively explored the Pacific islands and left behind memorable signs - famous stones"Latte", the height of which could reach 6 meters.

It is curious that some historians see in latte stones some analogy with mysterious statues Easter islands.

European influence on the Mariana Islands began thanks to the legendary navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first European to discover these lands during circumnavigation in 1521. On his ship, he passed through the southern group of islands of the archipelago and named them "Isla de los Ladrones", which in translation meant "Islands of thieves."

The name has been changed to "Las Marianas" in the middle of the 17th century, when the Spanish priest Luis Diego Sanvitores, who found himself in these parts, named them in honor of Queen Anna Maria of Austria.

In 1668, missionaries of the Jesuit order, led by Sanvitores, organized the first mission on the islands, with the advent of which conflicts began between the local population and European colonists. The war lasted two decades, and its result was the eviction of most of the natives on the island of Guam.

In the 19th century resettlement began Spaniards and settlers from the Caroline Islands to the Mariana Islands, gradually began to show interest in the archipelago and. In 1899, Spain sold the Northern Mariana Islands to the German government, which hoped to organize the industrial production of coconut pulp here. However, these plans were corrected by the outbreak of the First World War, and Japan, which turned out to be stronger and more interested, captured the islands.

The Japanese began to grow sugar cane on the islands, cutting down tropical forests and thickets of coconut palms. In the 1930s, the Mariana cane plantations guaranteed the lion's share of Japan's profits.

Dramatic events unfolded in the area of ​​the archipelago in the years World War II when the archipelago became the site of one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles in the Pacific. US military forces landed on the coast of Saipan in the summer of 1944 and simultaneously attacked the Japanese flotilla.

Thousands of soldiers of both armies became victims of the battle, but the civilian population of the islands suffered the maximum damage.

Subsequently, the United States set up a military airfield here, which was destined to go down in history. It was from this base that two heavy bombers took off into the sky, dropping atomic charges on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With the end of the war, peace came to the islands, they were subordinate to the United Nations, and since 1947 they were influenced by the USA.

Politics

The Mariana Islands are a community with internal self-government. Since 1986, the status of the state has been in effect, "freely joined" to the United States, thanks to which the islands gained local self-government. The United States Custody ended in 1993. The state and the government are simultaneously headed by a governor elected by the population.

On the islands representative presidential democratic system. The main person in the state is the governor. The Marianas are in political union with the United States, and the general funds are managed by a special department within the US Department of the Interior.

Most likely, such an unpleasant ailment as acclimatization will overtake the Mariana Islands. Get ready for it with .

Population

The population of the Mariana Islands archipelago is approximately 700 thousand people. Among them are representatives of different nationalities:

1. The vast majority of residents are Filipino ethnicity — 34%;
2. The second place is occupied by the nationality chamorro -30%;
3. On the third Chinese — 12%;
4. Close the list micronesians — 8%;
5. And people from caroline islands — 5%.

In addition, on the islands of the archipelago live Americans, Japanese, Koreans, Australians.

Religion and language

The official language of the Commonwealth is English. In second place is language of the Chamorro people, as well as an important role caroline, Philippine, Japanese, Korean and Chinese languages.

On the Mariana Archipelago representatives of each religious group have their own organization and premises for the implementation of rituals.

Main religious movements:

• Catholicism;
• Protestantism;
• Islam;
• local religions and cults.

Numerous activities are taking place here. sects ranging from Mormons to Seventh Day Adventists.

Map of Mariana Islands with cities

Of the 17 islands of the archipelago, only 4 are inhabited: Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Guam.

Capital

The capital of the Mariana Islands is city ​​of Susupe located on the island of Saipan. It is very popular among tourists from and Japan, who come here in large numbers.

Susupe attracts with its unhurried, measured rhythm, the absence of cataclysms and upheavals, which is so important for a modern person.

In Susupa, you can enjoy warm summers all year round and forget about all your worries.

Big cities

• The largest city in the archipelago Garapan located in the western part of the island of Saipan. Most of the administrative buildings on the islands are concentrated here. The city is unique in that its boundaries are not clearly defined, and almost everywhere west coast the island stretches a chain of small villages and residential buildings surrounded by farms and lush gardens.
• big village Songsong- the biggest locality on the island of Rota. It is located in the southwestern part of the island. The usual city rules do not apply here - residents do just fine without traffic lights and shopping centers. At almost every step you can see all kinds of stones, which are used not only for construction, but also perform the function of marking.
• City hagatna is the administrative center of the island of Guam. It is located on a narrow isthmus that separates the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The city was founded in 1668 by the Spaniards, who established the first Jesuit mission on the island. Here you can admire beautiful landscapes and vivid historical monuments.

Watch an informative video about the Mariana Islands:

Mariana Islands - an archipelago of fifteen large and several small islands in the west of the central Pacific Ocean. The islands form the northern part of the Western Pacific sub-region of Micronesia and consist of two political and administrative entities: Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Both have the status of an unincorporated organized territory of the United States. This means that they are not part of the United States, but are their property, and the US Constitution has a limited effect here. Moreover, the US Congress forms the local government.
The archipelago is divided into two chains - northern and southern, formed about 20 million years ago. The appearance of both chains above the surface of the water was the result of the displacement of the Pacific plate under the Mariana plate. Along the islands in the zone of convergence of two plates formed - the deepest section of the bottom of the oceans. As of 2011, its depth is 10,994 ± 40 m below sea level.
The islands of the northern chain are represented by cones of volcanoes, among which some are active, up to 965 m high. In total, there are about 50 underwater volcanoes in the archipelago; 11 stratovolcanoes form the islands. The southern chain is represented by coral and tectonic volcanoes.
The Mariana Islands are in a zone of tectonic activity, and earthquakes are not uncommon here. In addition, the archipelago is located in the tropical climate zone, so typhoons often pass here.
Unlike many Pacific Islands, the Mariana Islands are covered with dense thickets of tropical forests; there are also areas of savannahs, the vegetation of which is represented by flowerless cryptogamous plants: ferns, horsetails.

Discovery history

The Mariana Islands, located on the edge of the abyss of the Mariana Trench, were inhabited, presumably, no later than 1500-1400. BC e. The first inhabitants of the islands of the archipelago were immigrants who arrived from the Philippine Islands.
The islands were discovered by Europeans in the 16th century. The discoverer of the archipelago was Ferdinand Magellan himself (1480-1521), a Spanish-Portuguese navigator. During his famous - and the very first in history - world travel March 6, 1521 Magellan saw a chain of islands in the ocean. It is believed that great traveler landed on the island of Guam, but it could also be a small island near Guam.
Magellan tried to start an exchange and trade with local residents, who called themselves tao-tao-tano, or "people of the earth", and received the name khachamori (chamorro) from Europeans. They were typical Micronesians, and even managed to create a semblance of civilization. Its remains have been preserved on the island of Tinian in the form of limestone latte columns dating back to the 9th century.
But Magellan failed to establish a dialogue with the natives: they stole a ship's boat from the Europeans, thus provoking a serious conflict. As a result, the sailors killed seven Chamorros, returned the boat, replenished their food supplies and left the island. Magellan, in memory of the tragic events, named the archipelago the Robber Islands (Islas de los Ladrones).
The Mariana Islands stretch from north to south. Guam Island, which is a separate administrative unit, is the largest and southernmost island of the archipelago. Its area is 541.3 km 2 - 77.7 km 2 more than the total area of ​​the rest of the land, bearing the name of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Mariana Islands served for many years as a transit point for the Manila galleons of Spain, and in the 20th century. acquired military significance. It was from here that the bombers took off that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The islands got their current name in 1667, when Spain officially claimed the rights to them. In Spanish, it sounded "Las Marianas", in honor of the Spanish Queen Marianne of Austria (1634-1696).
From the second half of XVII in. the colonization of the islands began, missionaries were sent here. Local leaders prevented the spread of Catholicism, and attacks on members of the mission led to a war between the Spaniards and the natives, which broke out in 1672 and lasted 25 years.
In just a hundred years of colonization, most of the Chamorros died from diseases brought to the islands by the Spaniards. Those who managed to survive mingled with the Spaniards. Mestizos - descendants of mixed marriages - still live in the Mariana Islands.
For the Spaniards, the islands served as an intermediate stop for the so-called Manila galleons, which sailed between the Mexican and Philippine islands. The islands remained Spanish colony until the Spanish-American War (1898), as a result of which the Spaniards handed over Guam to the Americans. This year began the political separation of Guam from other islands of the archipelago. Under an 1899 treaty, the Spaniards sold the remaining Mariana Islands to Germany, which annexed them to their New Guinea protectorate.
In 1914, Japan occupied the Northern Mariana Islands, creating large plantations of sugar cane here. Later, already during the Second World War, the archipelago became the scene of fierce battles between the Japanese and the Americans. Especially bloody for the islands was 1944, when the Americans lost more than 2 thousand people dead and wounded, and over 40 thousand Japanese were killed or committed hara-kiri. At first, the Japanese even managed to capture American Guam.
However, the Americans regained Guam and captured the Northern Mariana Islands, subsequently using them as an airfield to bomb Japan. Both aircraft with atomic bombs (Enola Gay and Boxcar), which dropped cargo on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, took off from the "Northern Airfield" of Tinian Island in the Marianas.
After the end of the war, all the Mariana Islands came under the full control of the United States. America did not begin to unite them with Guam, but created a separate administrative territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, where the head of state is a US-appointed governor.
On the island of Guam - the largest of the Mariana Islands - the Americans have equipped the largest Pacific naval and air force bases, including Andersen and Apra Harbor. They are served by the majority of the island's population. Here, on Guam, the city of Hagatna is located - the main passenger and fishing port of the archipelago.
At present, the Marianas have become tourist center in the western Pacific. Actually, it was thanks to the American military that the Marianas earned the fame of one of the best resort areas Pacific Ocean.
The most ancient attraction of the archipelago is the preserved latte stone pillars. The origin and purpose of the pillars are unknown, there are only suggestions that they served for some mysterious cult purposes. There are about 500 of them in total, and they are often compared with stone sculptures on Easter Island.

general information

Location: western Pacific.

Islands: 15 major islands(Agihan, Agrihan, Alamagan, Anatahan, Asuncion, Guam, Guguan, Maug, Pagan, Rota, Saipan, Sarigan, Tinian, Farallon de Medinilla, Farallion de Pajaros) and several small islands and reefs.
Origin of the islands: tectonic, volcanic, coral.

Administrative affiliation: unincorporated organized territories of the United States.

Administrative-territorial division: Guam Island, Northern Mariana Islands.

Administrative center: Hagatna (Guam Island) - 1051 people, 2010; Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) - 48,220 people, 2010

Languages: Guam Island - English (official), Chamorro, Filipino languages; Northern Mariana Islands - Chamorro, English (official), Filipino, Chinese.

Ethnic composition: Guam Island: Chamorro - 37.1%, Filipino - 26.3%, other Oceanian - 11.3%, white - 6.9%, other Asian - 6.3%, other ethnic groups - 2.3%, mestizo - 9.8%, 2000; Northern Mariana Islands: Asian 56.3%, Oceanian 36.3%, Mestizo 4.8%, White 1.8%, Other 0.8%, 2000

Religions: Catholicism, local beliefs.

Currency unit: U.S. dollar.
The most important port: Hagatna (Guam Island).

The most important airports: international Airport them. Antonio B. Won Pata (Guam Island), Saipan International Airport. Francisco Sea Ada (Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands).

Numbers

Area: 1004.9 km2.

Length: 2519 km.

Distance: 2500 km from the Philippine Islands, 2500 km from the island of New Guinea.
Guam Island

Area: 541.3 km2.

Population: 160,378 (2013).

Population density: 296.3 people / km 2.

Urban population: 93% (2010).

125.5 km.
highest point: Peak Lamlam (406 m).
Northern Mariana Islands

Area: 463.6 km2.

Population: 51,170 (2013).

Population density: 110.4 people / km 2.

Urban population: 91% (2010).

Length coastline: 1482 km.
highest point: Agrikhan volcano on the island of the same name (965 m).

Climate and weather

tropical marine. The influence of the trade winds.
Average annual temperature:+24 - +30°С.

Rainy season: July-October.

Average annual rainfall: 1800-2300 mm.
Relative humidity: 78-82%.

Frequent typhoons.

Economy

GDP: Guam ($4.6 billion, per capita - $28,700, 2010), Northern Mariana Islands ($733 million, per capita - $13,600, 2010).

Agriculture: crop production (sugarcane, bananas, coffee, cotton, taro, citrus fruits, copra, vegetables, breadfruit), animal husbandry (poultry, pig breeding, dairy and meat animal husbandry).
Maintenance of US Air Force and Navy bases (Guam Island).
Industry: construction, food, textile.
Minerals: phosphorites, sulfur, iron and manganese ores.
Fishing (tuna).
Service sector: tourism, trade, financial.

Attractions

■ Guam Island: Pati Point Nature Reserve, ruins of Kaca-Gobierno (Hagatna, Governor's Palace, 1736), statue of Pope John Paul II (Hagatna), mini-Statue of Liberty in Paseo de Susanna (Hagatna), Dolce Nombre Cathedral - de Maria Agaña (Hagatna), Plaza de Espain (Hagatna), Latte Stone Park (Hagatna), Fort Santa Agueda (Hagatna), World War II Memorial Park (Fonte Plateau Unit), Tailfuck Bridge (1785), Guam Museum (Adelap Point Peninsula), World War II Japanese Coastal Gun Exhibition, University of Guam Marine Laboratory, Ty Lavers Point Limestone Cliffs, Caching Zoo, China Park, Gath Pago Inalahan Village , Gadao cave, Talofofo waterfall, Historical Museum Guama, Yokoi Caves, Meriso Bell Chapel (1910), Spanish Fort Nuestra de La Soledad,
■ Northern Mariana Islands: latte columns, San Jose Catholic Church (Tinian, 1956), Sugar King Park (Saipan), American Memorial Park (Saipan), Banadero Limestone Cave (Saipan), Laderan Tangke Cliffs (Saipan) ), Korean Peace Park (in memory of Korean women taken out by the Japanese to work in Saipan, 1981), Grotto Natural Cave, Tag House (residence of Tag the Great, king of the ancient Chamorro state, Tinian).

Curious facts

■ The island of Guam is only three times the size of the US capital, Washington.
■ In addition to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands.

■ The Limestone Latte Columns on Tinian Island are massive columns made of fossilized coral and limestone, up to 2 m wide and up to 4.5 m high, with a rounded top. Ancient Spanish sources report that burial urns of the Chamorro people were embedded in the columns. Images of the latte column are present on the flag and coat of arms of the Northern Mariana Islands.
■ In 1899, the Spaniards sold the northern part of the Mariana Islands to Germany for 837,500 German gold marks, which is about $4.1 million at the current exchange rate.
■ During World War II, Guam became the first American territory to be occupied by the Japanese. Japan captured the island by attacking it on December 8, 1941, the same day that Pearl Harbor was raided. The Japanese actually attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, but the International Date Line in the Pacific must be taken into account.
■ Residents of the island of Guam are recognized as US citizens without the right to vote in national elections. Guam has one non-voting delegate, elected for two years, in the US House of Representatives.

What is interesting to see in the Mariana Islands?

O.Saipan, 23 km. long and 8 km. wide - the largest among the Marianas and is the administrative center of the Commonwealth. Saipan impresses with its beauty and attracts tourists all year round. warm sea and bright sun. The center, Gararan, is the most…

Video from the Mariana Islands

How to get to the Mariana Islands?

From Russia to about. Saipan can be reached by flying via Seoul, South Korea, or Tokyo, Japan. There are daily flights from both states to the Mariana Islands.

flight time: 3 hour flight from Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya),

4.5 hour flight from South Korea (Seoul, Busan),

5 hours flight from China - Shanghai (also available regular charters from Beijing and Guangzhou)

vaccinations: No vaccinations are required to visit the Mariana Islands.

How to comfortably move around the Mariana Islands?

road traffic: Driving is right-hand drive, cars are left-hand drive. rules traffic the same as in Russia with small exceptions, for example, at a red light you can turn right, passing cars from the opposite lane turning left.

Traffic and rules are very simple. There are no huge traffic jams here. big cities. Max speed 35 mph, on some big roads 40-45 mph. For renting a car, the age limit is 21 years and older.

Traffic Laws:

Wear seat belts (fine from $50.00)

Children under 4 must be fastened in child seats, from 4 years and older - with a car seat belt

At the stop signal (STOP) on the school bus, you must stop

It is forbidden to enter the oncoming lane

Parking on the blue (with a sign for the disabled) is prohibited

The middle lane (yellow solid or dotted on both sides) is allowed to be used only during a left turn or a full U-turn, but only after a complete stop.

After sunset, it is necessary to turn on the dipped beam (18:30)

When the car is stopped by the police, do not get out of the car. You need to open a window.

Driving while intoxicated is strictly prohibited.

car rental: Car brands

Toyota, Ford, Nissan, KIA

Documentation

It is enough to have a Russian license with you. You can pay by card or cash.

The car is rented with a full tank and the car must be returned with a full tank. In case of violation of the contract, the amount for gasoline is tripled.

In some car rental offices, it is offered to pay for gasoline in advance.

Insurance

Each car rental office offers several types of insurance.

Car insurance is not required. You can opt out of insurance, but in this case, you must leave your credit card details.

Taxi: Taxis in Saipan can only be hailed from hotel stands. Taxi services, although metered, are expensive.

buses: Saipan, Tinian and Rota do not have an urban transportation system. There is free bus Duty free from the store to the hotels and back.

hitch-hiking: It is possible to hitchhike in the Marianas, but this is not a common practice.

airports: Each island: Saipan, Rota and Tinian has international/local airports. The main airport of the Mariana Islands is an international airport on about. Saipan.

airlines: Asiana Airline (O.Z.)

Delta Airlines (DL)

Shanghai Airline (FM)

Continental Airline (CO)

Freedom Air (FRE)

railway: There are no railways in the Marianas.

ports: The only one international port- on Saipan, and three local - on the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

Where is the best place to stay while traveling in the Mariana Islands?

Climate in the Marianas

The climate is tropical. O. Saipan is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of the most constant round-the-clock year-round temperature in the world of +27 degrees C. The season for tourists in the Mariana Islands is open all year round.

There are 2 seasons - dry and wet. The wet season falls for 6 months from July to December. A special characteristic of the wet season is intermittent rains during the day and heavy rains at night, which does not prevent tourists from enjoying the warm sea and the bright sun. The average air temperature during the wet season is +33 - +35 degrees Celsius and the average rainfall is 1800-2000 mm.

The dry season falls for 6 months from January to June. The weather this season is cool with a light breeze and the air temperature drops to +27 degrees Celsius. The average water temperature is +25 degrees Celsius, precipitation is reduced to a minimum, droughts are possible.

Between July and November, tropical storms and typhoons are possible in the Pacific Ocean. Basically, they become infected in the Mariana Islands and go north, gaining their strength already off the coast of the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Korea or Japan.

National cuisine of the Mariana Islands

The cuisine in the Marianas is international. Initially, with the development of the textile and tourism industries on the islands, a multinational population developed. The Chinese, Filipinos, Thais, Japanese, Koreans, Americans, Australians and other nationalities have influenced the diversity of the islands' cuisine. Accordingly, the island has many restaurants and eateries to the liking of each of these nationalities.

The locals are very hospitable, and if you make friends in Saipan, you will definitely be invited to visit, where they will offer local dishes such as red rice, meat or poultry grilled or in coconut milk, corn tortillas, spicy chicken calaguen, apigigi (young coconut with starch flour wrapped in a banana leaf), tropical fruits and many other dishes. You can taste local dishes in hotel restaurants or at the local fair on Garapan on Thursdays.

Most popular restaurants:

Restaurant "Tony Romas" is famous for ribs prepared according to traditional American recipes, and "Capriciosa" - Italian cuisine, are located not far from the Duty Free shopping center. Delicious cuisine, fast service and convenient location and opening hours have made these restaurants very popular among Russian tourists.

The big guitar of the restaurant "Hard Rock Cafe" attracts the attention of every tourist. The restaurant itself is located on the second floor of the Duty Free shopping center. Homemade nachos, combo burgers, steaks, fried chicken, soups, salads and delicious desserts can all be tasted in an atmosphere of rock and roll relics and your favorite music.

The Thai House Thai restaurant is a favorite place for both residents of Saipan and tourists. Seafood delicacies, papaya salad, vegetable rolls and many other dishes will be served to your table with a smile and Thai goodwill.

In the only Indian restaurant on the islands, "Test of India", you can try the famous Indian dish "Tandori Chicken".

Numerous Korean, Chinese and Japanese restaurants are scattered throughout the island of Saipan. The Hankukwan restaurant specializes in traditional Korean cuisine for cooking nabe (soups). Seafood, meat, mushrooms, vegetables, or all at once can be added to the cooked spicy broth of your choice. Restaurant "Tori Hide and American Sushi Bar" offers a variety of Japanese dishes, sashimi and sushi, including California rolls.

Tourist safety in the Marianas

History of the Marianas

The first settlers migrated from South-East Asia to the Marina Islands 1500 BC Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer and navigator, discovered the Marianas and mapped them in 1521, and in 1565 Spain declared the islands its territory and…

Mariana Islands souvenirs

Coconut crafts Bojobo mascot crafts Bojobo tree seed crafts Shell and coral jewelery Traditional wood crafts Traditional bone crafts Coconut leaf wicker crafts Traditional bead crafts Pictures Medicinal noni fruit products Noni…

Mariana Islands: interesting facts

The deepest trench in the world, the Mariana Trench, which is over 11,000 meters deep, is located to the east of Saipan.

Guinness book records:

Temperature: in the Mariana Islands, the most stable temperature in the world is +27 C.

In 2007, Marine Dive magazine put 18 categories of dive-related locations around the world to vote by readers. After voting, 5 prestigious awards were determined for the Mariana Islands.

Managaha Island Lagoon won first place as “Best Snorkeling Spot”

Fourth place was shared by Managaha for “ best beach” and the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota for “Best Diving Area”

Fifth place was shared by Rota for "Teteto" beach as "Best Beach" and the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota as "Best Resort Area".

Underwater cave "Grotto" is considered the second most beautiful place in the world among diving specialists. Skin Diver magazine has listed this place as one of the top 10 scuba diving spots.

For four consecutive years, Managaha Island has been awarded and received the title of “Most the best place diving and snorkelling” at the Tokyo International Fair.

Saipan - Treasure Island! The Saipan Museum of History and Culture has the world's largest collection of artifacts and treasures from Spanish galleons! In 1638, at Cape Aguingan in the Saipan Strait, not far from the PIC Hotel, the galley Nuestra Señora de la Conception wrecked with a cargo of gold. Only a small part of the cargo was found by an underwater expedition in the 80s of the last century. Most of the treasures still remain at the bottom of the strait. The most expensive part of the treasure is in the museum and their duplicates can be seen in one of the halls: gold jewelry inlaid with diamonds and other precious stones, necklaces, chains, fine porcelain, etc.

On the island of Saipan lived the artist Douglas Rankin, who created a unique painting technique - banana painting. Instead of a brush, he used cuttings from a banana tree. He cut and wrapped leaves, carved dies and rollers from trunks. Then he created unique paintings with his unusual instruments. Douglas Rankin died in 2007.

Northern Mariana Islands or Northern Mariana Islands Community- a small island state in Micronesia, in the western part of the Pacific Ocean in the Mariana Islands archipelago. It has the status of a non-aligned territory freely associated with the United States. Territory - 477 km². The capital is Saipan on the island of the same name.

The Mariana Islands archipelago consists of 15 islands of volcanic origin, the largest of which are Saipan, Tinian and Rota. However, only 14 islands belong to the Northern Mariana Islands, and the fifteenth - the island of Guam, the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands, is considered a separate territory belonging to the United States.

The Mariana Islands are an island arc located in a tectonically active region in the western Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is located 2500 km east of the Philippines and at the same distance north of Papua New Guinea. The islands are stretched for about 800 km.

Geologically, the islands can be divided into two groups: the older southern one (Rota, Tinian, Agihan, Farallon de Medinilla, Saipan) and the young northern one (the rest of the islands of the archipelago). All islands of the northern group are stratovolcanoes. Most of the islands are surrounded coral reefs. The reefs of the southern islands are older and better developed. There are about 50 underwater volcanoes in the region of the islands, and 11 volcanoes form islands.

To the east of the islands is perhaps the most famous local geographical attraction - the Mariana Trench, 11,775 meters deep.

Climate of the Northern Mariana Islands

Climate of the Northern Mariana Islands- tropical, trade wind.

The rainy season lasts from July to December, average temperature at this time +33..+35°C. Tropical storms and typhoons occur in the Pacific Ocean from August to November. The “dry” months on the islands are from December to June, due to the sea breeze, the average temperature at this time is +27..+29°C. The average annual sea water temperature is +25°C.

The best time to visit the Northern Mariana Islands - from December to March, and tourist season on the island of Saipan lasts all year.

Last modified: 05/10/2013

Population

Population of the Northern Mariana Islands- 88.6 thousand people (2009). The average life expectancy is 74 years for men, 79 years for women.

Ethnic composition: Asians (Filipinos, Chinese, etc.) 56.3%, peoples of Oceania (including Chamorros) 36.3%, mixed origin 4.8%, whites 1.8%, other 0.8%.

The majority of believers on the islands are Catholics (Roman Catholic Christianity). Part of the population considers itself to be of East Asian origin.

official languages: English, Chamorro, Caroline.

Last modified: 05/10/2013

Currency

Currency: US dollar (USD), 1 USD = 100 cents. In circulation are denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars, coins - penny (1 cent), nickel (5 cents), dime (10 cents), quarter (25 cents), half dollar (50 cents), as well as 2 and 1 dollars.

Almost everywhere they accept Japanese yen and Korean won.

Bank branches are open from Monday to Thursday, from 10.00 to 15.00, on Fridays - from 10.00 to 18.00. Some bank branches outlying islands can work on their own schedule.

Most hotels, restaurants, car rentals and diving centers in Saipan, Tinian and Rota accept credit cards. ATMs can be found in branches of banks and large shopping malls. On remote islands, you may encounter problems when trying to pay for something with a plastic card, because often small private shops simply do not accept card payments.

Traveler's checks are accepted everywhere in US dollars, and it is absolutely not necessary to visit a bank branch, since most hotels, restaurants and large stores cash them on the spot. If during the trip you are going to visit small islands, we still recommend that you stock up on the necessary amount of cash in advance.

VAT and Tax-Free

When paying for services in hotels, a hotel tax of 10% is charged. There are no other commercial taxes, including VAT.

Last modified: 05/10/2013

Communication and communications

Telephone code: 1 - 670

Internet domain: .mp

Ambulance, police, fire department: 911

How to call

To call from Russia to the Northern Mariana Islands, you need to dial: 8 - beep - 10 - 1 - 670 - subscriber's number.

To call from the Northern Mariana Islands to Russia, you need to dial: 011 - 7 - area code - subscriber number.

Fixed line

You can find pay phones everywhere. All of them work with telephone cards, which are sold at post offices, newspaper and tobacco kiosks. You can make local, as well as long-distance and international calls from any pay phone. Some phones accept credit cards.

mobile connection

cellular covers almost all the southern islands and part of the northern ones. Roaming with local networks (GSM 850/1900 standards) is available to subscribers of the largest Russian cellular companies through the networks of other operators in the region.

Internet

Internet cafes are few and mostly concentrated in Saipan, but almost all large hotels and business centers have their own access points, including those equipped with Wi-Fi equipment.

Last modified: 05/10/2013

Where to stay

Hotel prices on the island of Saipan are quite high, especially during the Japanese holiday season (up to 0.5 million tourists visit the Northern Mariana Islands a year, mainly from Japan). There are few cheap hotels on the islands, there are no hostels.

Last modified: 05/10/2013

Sea and beaches

On the islands of the Southern Group ( Saipan, Tinian and Rota)- Beaches with fine white sand. The islands of the Northern Group - the beaches here are with black volcanic sand.

Last modified: 05/10/2013

Story

The Mariana Islands were discovered by the expedition of Magellan on March 6, 1521. Chamorro natives, who lived at the stage of the primitive communal system, stole a boat from the Spaniards, and Magellan called these islands Las Islas de los Ladrones - that is, the islands of Thieves or the Robber Islands.

Although these islands were declared possession of Spain in the 16th century, the Spaniards began to establish practical control over them only from 1668. Spanish Jesuit monks landed there, renaming the islands the Marianas, "Las Islas Marianas" or "Las Marianas" in honor of Marianne of Austria, and began the conversion of the natives to the Christian faith. This caused fierce resistance from the natives, and as a result, almost the entire male population of the islands was destroyed by the Spanish soldiers who accompanied the monks. Subsequently, the population of the Mariana Islands increased again due to the offspring of aboriginal women from Spanish soldiers and monks.

The Spanish colonialists practically did not develop the islands, and at the end of the 19th century, Germany became very interested in the Pacific territories. As a result, under an agreement dated February 12, 1899, Germany bought the Mariana Islands from Spain for an amount equivalent to $ 4.5 million (except for Guam, annexed by the United States - the largest and most south island Mariana Archipelago).

The Germans began to create plantations on the islands, but their dominion was short-lived - during the First World War, the Mariana Islands (like the neighboring Caroline and Marshall Islands, also bought by Germany from Spain in 1899) were occupied by Japan, which, under the Treaty of Versailles, received them as a mandate of the League Nations.

The Japanese actively developed plantations of sugar cane, as well as coconut palms, tobacco and citrus fruits on the islands, and pursued a targeted policy of settling the islands by the Japanese and forcibly assimilated the natives (including the method of forced physical mixing of natives with Japanese settlers).

During World War II, American troops captured the Mariana and other Pacific Islands, after the war, Japanese settlers were deported to Japan, and the Caroline, Marshall and Mariana Islands were transferred to the United States in 1947 by decision of the UN.

The community of the Northern Mariana Islands was created in 1976 during the division of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Unlike the Marshall and Caroline Islands, the Marianas decided to abandon state independence, preferring only internal self-government.

On November 4, 1986, the final agreement on the political union of the Northern Mariana Islands with the United States came into force.

In 2007-08, changes were made to the agreement on political union between the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States, bringing the laws of the commonwealth closer to US requirements. Including the gradual increase in the minimum wage to the size established in the United States, the election of a delegate to the House of Representatives in the US Congress and changes in immigration laws (the last changes came into effect on November 28, 2009).

Last modified: 05/10/2013

Entertainment

Popular in the Northern Mariana Islands are - diving, snorkeling, trekking, windsurfing and golf.

Diving- the main dive site of Saipan "Grotto" (underwater access to the ocean through underwater grottoes) - is the most unique in the world in terms of the beauty of underwater architecture. The water temperature in the coastal waters of the islands is comfortable all year round and does not change depending on the time of day. Perfect transparency allows you to see the beauty of the underwater world.

Snorkeling- the best places for snorkeling: Saipan - Managaha island, Tinian - Tachona beach, Rota - Corell Gardens in Sasanaya Bay.

Trekking- all three main islands of the archipelago are good for hiking. The main route in Saipan is the Laderana-Tangka trail through the Marpi Commonwealth forest. Tinian has an excellent route along the banks of the Cummer and Taga south of San José.

Windsurfing- The best place for surfing is Micro Beach in Saipan.

Golf- Several golf clubs are open on Saipan: Kingfisher Golf Links (“Kingfisher Golf Club”), Coral Ocean Point (“Coral Ocean Point”), Lao Lao Bay Golf Resort (“Lau Lay Bay Golf Club”), Marianas Country Club ( "Marianas Country Golf Club").

The golf courses of the island are very different from each other technically, but they are similar in one thing - great views the ocean and chic tropical nature. The local clubs require the same punctuality as most clubs in other countries of the world. All clubs require you to dress appropriately for golf. Tops and slippers are not welcome.