Land use:
arable land: 15.22%
permanent crops: 6.52%
other: 78.26% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August
to November)

Environment - current issues: contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development

Geography - note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean

People Northern Mariana Islands

Population:
80,006 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.3% (male 9,483; female 9,168)
15-64 years: 74.8% (male 27,839; female 32,041)
65 years and over: 1.8% (male 748; female 727) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.4 years
male: 31 years
female: 30.1 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
3.37% (2003 est.)