US commonwealth comprising the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and the smaller northern islands), formed after decades of the islands' residents rejecting integration with Guam and instead negotiating closer union with the United States. A covenant establishing commonwealth status was approved by referendum in 1975 and the CNMI constitution by referendum in 1977, taking partial effect 9 January 1978; full US sovereignty, transfer out of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and US citizenship for residents took effect 4 November 1986. The CNMI has elected a non-voting delegate to the US House of Representatives since 2009 and remains a US commonwealth today.
Remains a commonwealth in political union with the United States under the covenant that took full effect in 1986.
Covers the Trust Territory period the Northern Marianas passed through before reaching CNMI commonwealth status.
Regional context for the Trust Territory era, the referendums, and Compact/commonwealth arrangements across Micronesia including the CNMI.