The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is an insular area and and commonwealth of the United States consisting of fifteen islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The CNMI includes all islands in the Mariana Archipelago except Guam, which is the southernmost island of the chain and a separate U.S. territory.
The administrative center is Capitol Hill, a village in northwestern Saipan. However, most publications consider Saipan to be the capital because the island is governed as a single municipality.