Geography of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, together with
Pagan and Agrihan. The volcano on Agrihan has the highest elevation at 3,166 feet (965 m). About one-fifth of the land is arable; another tenth is pasture. The primary natural resource is fish, some of which are endangered species, which leads to conflict. Also, development has created landfills
which have contaminated the groundwater on Saipan, which could lead to disease.
UTC). It has since alternated between eruptive and calm periods. On April 6, 2005, approximately 50,000 cubic meters (1,800,000 cu ft) of ash and rock were ejected, causing a large, black cloud to drift south over Saipan and Tinian
.
Climate
The islands have a
Guinness Book of World Records has cited Saipan as having the most equable climate in the world.[1] From 1927 to 1935, the temperature ranged from 19.6 °C (67.3 °F) at the lowest to 31.4 °C (88.5 °F) at the highest.[1]
| Climate data for Saipan International Airport (Köppen Af/Am) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) |
90 (32) |
91 (33) |
93 (34) |
96 (36) |
94 (34) |
99 (37) |
95 (35) |
94 (34) |
92 (33) |
92 (33) |
90 (32) |
99 (37) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 84.1 (28.9) |
84.0 (28.9) |
84.9 (29.4) |
87.1 (30.6) |
88.2 (31.2) |
88.4 (31.3) |
87.8 (31.0) |
87.2 (30.7) |
87.2 (30.7) |
86.6 (30.3) |
86.5 (30.3) |
85.7 (29.8) |
86.5 (30.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 79.5 (26.4) |
79.1 (26.2) |
80.0 (26.7) |
82.0 (27.8) |
83.1 (28.4) |
83.4 (28.6) |
82.9 (28.3) |
82.4 (28.0) |
82.2 (27.9) |
81.8 (27.7) |
81.9 (27.7) |
81.0 (27.2) |
81.6 (27.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 74.8 (23.8) |
74.1 (23.4) |
75.2 (24.0) |
76.9 (24.9) |
78.0 (25.6) |
78.5 (25.8) |
78.1 (25.6) |
77.5 (25.3) |
77.2 (25.1) |
77.1 (25.1) |
77.3 (25.2) |
76.4 (24.7) |
76.8 (24.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 70 (21) |
69 (21) |
69 (21) |
70 (21) |
73 (23) |
72 (22) |
71 (22) |
69 (21) |
72 (22) |
69 (21) |
69 (21) |
69 (21) |
69 (21) |
| Average rainfall inches (mm) | 3.65 (93) |
2.50 (64) |
1.96 (50) |
2.75 (70) |
3.12 (79) |
4.24 (108) |
7.43 (189) |
12.86 (327) |
11.42 (290) |
10.72 (272) |
5.21 (132) |
3.78 (96) |
69.64 (1,769) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 in) | 17.4 | 15.3 | 14.2 | 16.4 | 17.9 | 20.2 | 24.3 | 23.9 | 23.3 | 24.5 | 20.7 | 18.9 | 237.0 |
| Source: | |||||||||||||
See also
- Extreme points of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Marianas Trench Marine National Monument
References
- ^ a b "Most equable temp-short period". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
- ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Station: Saipan INTL AP, MP". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
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