Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
_#_Climate: tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to July, rainy season July to October
_#_Terrain: southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic; highest elevation is 471 meters (Mt. Tagpochu on Saipan)
_#_Natural resources: arable land, fish
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures 19%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA%
_#_Environment: Mt. Pagan is an active volcano (last erupted in October 1988); subject to typhoons during the rainy season
_#_Note: strategic location 5,635 km west-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and the Philippines
_*People #_Population: 23,494 (July 1991), growth rate 3.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991)