Northern Mariana Islands

Scuba diving and snorkelling are the biggest attractions, with a kaleidoscope of colourful coral reefs, and a smorgasbord of shipwrecks and rusting tanks, stuck on the seabed after the scene of fierce fighting during World War II.

Understanding The Geography

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is a commonwealth in political union with the United States of America at a strategic location in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.

The Northern Mariana Islands, together with Guam to the south, comprise the Mariana Islands.

The southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs. The northern islands are volcanic, with active volcanoes on Anatahan, Pagan and Agrihan. The volcano on Agrihan is the highest elevation in the islands at 965 meters.

Climate Conditions

The islands have a tropical marine climate moderated by seasonal northeast trade winds. There is little seasonal temperature variation; the dry season runs from December to June, and the rainy season from July to October can include typhoons. The Guinness Book of World Records has cited Saipan as having the most equable temperature in the world.