English speaking countries

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Year
Record high °F (°C)	87 (31)	89 (32)	86 (30)	87 (31)	90 (32)	89 (32)	89 (32)	89 (32)	90 (32)	88 (31)	87 (31)	88 (31)	90 (32)
Average high °F (°C)	81.2 (27.3)	79.7 (26.5)	79.8 (26.6)	83.1 (28.4)	84.4 (29.1)	85.0 (29.4)	84.1 (28.9)	84.0 (28.9)	83.8 (28.8)	83.7 (28.7)	83.3 (28.5)	81.4 (27.4)	82.8 (28.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)	77.3 (25.2)	76.3 (24.6)	76.4 (24.7)	78.5 (25.8)	79.9 (26.6)	80.2 (26.8)	79.6 (26.4)	79.6 (26.4)	79.4 (26.3)	79.3 (26.3)	79.1 (26.2)	77.8 (25.4)	78.6 (25.9)
Average low °F (°C)	73.4 (23.0)	72.9 (22.7)	73.1 (22.8)	73.9 (23.3)	75.5 (24.2)	75.3 (24.1)	75.1 (23.9)	75.2 (24.0)	75.0 (23.9)	74.9 (23.8)	75.0 (23.9)	74.1 (23.4)	74.5 (23.6)
Record low °F (°C)	68 (20)	67 (19)	64 (18)	63 (17)	66 (19)	70 (21)	64 (18)	67 (19)	67 (19)	67 (19)	68 (20)	68 (20)	63 (17)
Average rainfall inches (mm)	3.84 (98)	4.42 (112)	2.40 (61)	5.03 (128)	3.80 (97)	5.04 (128)	10.16 (258)	12.42 (315)	11.65 (296)	10.99 (279)	7.76 (197)	5.88 (149)	83.39 (2,118)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01-inch)	18	16	15	17	18	20	24	24	23	25	21	19	240
Source: ^[36]

Politics and government[edit]

Main article: Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands

Ralph Torres, the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands have a multiparty presidential representative democratic system. They are a commonwealth of the United States. Federal funds to the commonwealth are administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Replicating the separation of powers elsewhere in the United States, the executive branch is headed by the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands; legislative power is vested in the bicameral Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature and the judicial power is vested in the CNMI Supreme Court and the trial courts inferior to it.
Some critics, including the author of the political website Saipan Sucks, say that politics in the Northern Mariana Islands is often "more a function of family relationships and personal loyalties" where the size of one's extended family is more important than a candidate's personal qualifications. They charge that this is nepotism carried out within the trappings of democracy.^[37][38]
In April 2012, anticipating a loss of funding by 2014, the commonwealth's public pension fund declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy.^[39] The retirement fund is a defined benefit-type pension plan and was only partially funded by the government, with only $268.4 million in assets and $911 million in liabilities. The plan experienced low investment returns and a benefit structure that had been increased without raises in funding.^[40]
In August 2012, cries for impeachment^[41] arose, as the sitting governor Benigno Fitial was being held responsible for withholding payments from the pension fund,^[42] not paying the local utility (Commonwealth Utilities or "CUC") for government offices,^[43] cutting off funding to the only hospital in the Northern Marianas,^[44][45] interfering with the delivery of a subpoena to his attorney general,^[46] withholding required funds from the public schools,^[47][48] and for signing a sole source $190 million contract for power generation.^[49][50]
Further information: Political party strength in the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands’ delegation to the 2016 Republican National Convention boasted about being "the most Republican territory" in the U.S.^[51] As of 2017, the Republican Party had large majorities in both the Northern Mariana Islands Senate and the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives.

Administrative divisions[edit]

The islands total 179.01 square miles (463.63 km²). The table gives an overview, with the individual islands listed from north to south:^[4]