Saipan is the largest island and capital of the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands, with an area of 185 square kilometers and a population of just over 50,000 people, but the Chinese population is 20 percent.
Although Saipan is an island in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, it has been inhabited since about 2000 BC, but its beauty was really recognized by mankind after the voyage of the navigator Magellan in 1521. The Spaniards occupied the island in 1565 and in 1668 changed the archipelago to "Mariana" in the name of the Queen of Spain.
Although the island is small, its strategic position is particularly important. In the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, he changed hands with many Western powers. In particular, in mid-June 1944, the U.S. and Japanese navies fought an island battle on Saipan. After more than 20 days of fierce fighting, the Japanese defended the island and suffered heavy casualties, the Japanese general Nanyun Zhongyi and his officers committed suicide, and the US army occupied the entire island. The plane that later dropped the two atomic bombs on Japan, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man", took off from Tianyu Island near Saipan and became famous overnight, shocking the world.
After World War II, the other surrounding archipelagos, including Saipan, were once under U.S. trusteeship and later mostly became independent states. However, due to the special status of Saipan and its surroundings, the Americans never let go, and by 1986, the social security of this area was uniformly managed by the State of California, and all the islanders held U.S. citizen passports.
Today, this area and the nearby island of Guam have become important U.S. military bases in the Asia-Pacific region, creating extremely unstable factors for neighboring countries and regions.
Saipan location
Great views of Saipan
Great views of Saipan
Great views of Saipan
Great views of Saipan
Battle of Saipan
Map of Saipan