CULTURE

Tourism is the principal economic activity. Saipan and Rota are the main tourist centres and offer luxury hotels. The tourists are mainly Japanese and Americans. Subsistence farming, including the cultivation of taro, cassava, yams, breadfruit, vegetables, and bananas, is practiced extensively by many islanders to supplement their cash income. Copra production, fishing, pig and cattle raising, truck farming, and handicrafts have dwindled in recent years. Small manufacturing industries were introduced from Korea, China, and the Philippines, and such economic activity, with the continuing rise in tourism, has encouraged much immigration from Asia.

Saipan, Tinian, and Rota have paved roads. Transportation between the islands is largely by air, with some boat traffic primarily for cargo. Saipan is the largest port, followed by Tinian and Rota. Saipan has an international airport.