Tourist Guide Saipan
Saipan is the largest island and capital of the United States Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands. The city is located in the Western Pacific,
15 degrees north of the equator. It is south of Japan, east of the Philippines,
north of Papua New Guinea.
The Chamorro people have the first inhabitants of the area, since initial arrival
sometime between 2000 and 1500 B.C. .
Starting from the 19th century, Saipan was held by Spain, Germany, and Japan
before being captured by U.S. troops in July 1944 during the second World War.
After 20 years of American presence, Saipan opted out of the US Trust in 1975
and voted to become the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, an integral
part of the United States.
Today, the Northern Marianas enjoy a well-developed tourist trade and an efficient
economy.
The Saipan island population is cosmopolitan (Filipino, Chamorro, Chinese, Micronesian
and Carolinian), highly urbanized and concentrated on the capital.
