[16][17] After their first contact with Spaniards, the islanders eventually became known as the Chamorros, a Spanish word similar to Chamori, the name of the Indigenous caste system's higher division.

The Spanish reported that by their arrival, the largest of these was already in ruins and that the Chamorros believed the ancestors who had erected the pillars lived in an era when people possessed supernatural abilities.

In 2013 archaeologists posited that the first people to settle in the Marianas may have made what was at that point the longest uninterrupted ocean-crossing voyage in human history.

The Spanish ships were met offshore by the native Chamorros, who delivered refreshments and then helped themselves to a small boat belonging to Magellan's fleet.

This led to a cultural clash: in Chamorro tradition, little property was private, and taking something one needed, such as a boat for fishing, did not count as stealing.

In 1919 after the war concluded, the League of Nations (LoN) awarded all of Germany's islands in the Pacific Ocean located north of the Equator, including the Northern Marianas, under mandate to Japan.

Garapan on Saipan was developed as a regional capital, and numerous Japanese (including ethnic Koreans and Okinawan and Taiwanese) migrated to the islands.

[citation needed] On June 15, 1944, the United States military invaded the Mariana Islands, starting the Battle of Saipan, which ended on July 9.

On a related note, on Guam, Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi, unaware that the war had ended, hid in a jungle cave in the Talofofo area until 1972.

The mayor's office coordinated the months-long project plans, including a clean water supply, establishment of radio contact, and hopefully sending more families to the two islands.

[45] On April 6, 2005, an estimated 50,000,000 cubic feet (1,416,000 m3) of ash and rock were ejected, causing a large, black cloud to drift south over Saipan and Tinian.

Human habitation was limited to Agrihan, Pagan, and Alamagan, but the population varied due to various economic factors, including children's education.

For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau counts the four municipalities of the Northern Mariana Islands as county equivalents.

In 1976, Congress approved the mutually negotiated Covenant to establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America.

[79] The CNMI is outside the customs area of the United States and bona fide residents of the Commonwealth are exempt from U.S. federal income tax, as is the case in the four self-governing territories.

[82][83] Cases under federal law are heard by the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, which was established by act of Congress in 1977, and began operations in January 1978.

[87] This has also made the CNMI a refuge for pregnant women who escape authoritarian regimes in East Asia: when their child is born in the Northern Marianas it can be a U.S.

[87] The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands benefits from its trading relationship with the federal government of the United States and cheap trained labor from Asia.

[89] Agricultural production, primarily of tapioca, cattle, coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons, is relatively unimportant in the economy, representing only 1.7% of CNMI GDP as of 2016.

[91] A tourism hot spot is Managaha Island, which must be accessed by ferry and has various bbq vendors, water sport activities, and has wide sandy beaches surrounding a tropical forest.

[94] Noted tourist destinations in the CNMI include:[93] The Northern Mariana Islands had successfully used its position as a free trade area with the U.S., while at the same time not being subject to the same labor laws.

[108][109] An immigration system mostly outside of federal U.S. control (which ended on November 28, 2009) resulted in many Chinese migrant workers (about 15,000 during the peak years) being employed in the islands' garment trade.

Each major island has its own ZIP code in the 96950–96952 range, and the USPS two-letter abbreviation for the CNMI is MP[114][115] ("Marianas Pacific", NM and MI being taken).

[8] The decrease was reportedly due to a combination of factors, including the demise of the garment industry (the vast majority of whose employees were females from China), economic crises, and a decline in tourism, one of the CNMI's primary sources of revenue.

According to the Pew Research Center, 2010:[125] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 865 members in a ward (congregation) in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Popular foods of foreign origin include various types of sweet or savory empanada, initially introduced by Spain, and pancit, a noodle dish from the Philippines.

Red rice made with achoti is a distinct staple food that strongly distinguishes Chamorro cuisine from that of other Pacific islands.

Fruit bats have become scarce in modern times on several islands, primarily due to the overharvesting of the species and loss of habitat; hunting them is now illegal even though poaching still occurs.

[129] Team sports prevalent in the United States were introduced to the Northern Mariana Islands by American soldiers during World War II.

[21] There are nine known species of birds endemic to the Northern Marianas, such as the Saipan Reed Warbler and Golden white-eye, as well as a variety of invertebrates, insects, and plants.