Northern Mariana Islands

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CMMI) derives from the United Nations'Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), created in 1947, and administered by the United States. As of 1990, the TTPI was dissolved and a local constitution developed.

The Marianas constitution provides for a governor, a lieutenant governor, a bicameral legislature (18 members in the House of Representatives and 9 members in the Senate), and a local court system including Superior and Supreme Courts. There is a U.S. District Court for the Northern Marianas Islands, and, as of 2008, the CMMI has a nonvoting delegate in the U.S. Congress.

Among the islands are several that had significant roles in the Second World War, especially Saipan and Tinian.