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Capital:
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Saipan
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Population:
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78,252 (July 2004 est.)
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Flag
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Background:
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Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978.
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Government type:
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commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $900 million
note: GDP estimate includes US subsidy (2000 est.)
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Internet users:
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NA
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Map
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