The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is a commonwealth in political union with the United States located 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, at . The United States Census Bureau reports the total land area of all islands as 179.01 sq mi (463.63 km²).
The Northern Mariana Islands has a population of 80,362 (2005 estimate). The official 2000 census count was 69,221.[2] The Northern Mariana Islands have the lowest male to female sex ratio in the world: an average of 76 men to every 100 women.[3] That is due to the overwhelming female majority of foreign workers, especially in the garment industry.
