The Mariana Islands have a population of 55,000 spread over 457 square km.
Large sections of the tropical landscape are swathed in jungle and fringed with sand and surf. But much of the appeal of the island chain - 6,440km west of Hawaii - lies in its US status.
The islands were a Japanese colony before becoming a US Pacific Trust Territory in 1947 and eventually a US Commonwealth territory in 1987. The status allows garment companies to sew 'Made in the USA' tags on to their products for sale in America.
The Marianas controls its own immigration and wage policy. Some reports say Filipino domestic helpers and labourers work up to 72 hours a week for less than HK$7.75 an hour. In a 1990 census, the average annual income for home owners was $200,930. Four in 10 people had no telephones and 25 per cent had no televisions.