The Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) consists of the 14 northern islands in the Marianas chain.  Only the southern-most island in the chain, Guam, is not part of the CNMI, being an unincorporated U.S. territory.  The CNMI was born out of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which consisted of six island states the United States assumed responsibility for following World War II.  The CNMI as it is today was formed when President Jimmy Carter signed the CNMI Covenant into law on 21 April 1977.   The CNMI became a semi-autonomous Commonwealth in political union with the U.S.A.  CNMI residents are U.S. citizens with U.S. Passports.  At the time of this writing in Dec. of 2004, the CNMI controls its own immigration, but increased anti-terrorism security measures may change that.  The CNMI uses U.S. currency, the U.S. Postal Service, while the U.S. maintains a federal level of oversight of these benefits as well as military basing rights.  The CNMI was still kept under a trusteeship until 2 November 1986 when President Ronald Reagan declared it a self-governing entity.  Nov. 2 is celebrated as Citizenship Day in the CNMI.

Rota has been maintained as a relatively undeveloped island by the CNMI and her own people, who are Chamorro like the native people of Guam.  Rota had a very unique and difficult role to play in WWII, which you can learn about in greater detail by linking to the Digital American History Trail.   Largely a bird sanctuary and one of the better-kept secret golfing destinations of the Pacific, Rota is not an isle to go to for the glitz, glamour, and excitement of Waikiki or even of Saipan's Garapan Village and Guam's Tumon area.  Rota is the place to go to see what an undisturbed Pacific island looks like.  Turn the car engine off and you hear nothing but birds, maybe you'll see a monitor lizard run across your path.  It is a place of quiet peace.

Rota's eastern tip pokes above the Pacific Ocean as you fly into the island from Guam or Saipan.  To get to Rota you will have to make a stop at either of the larger islands.  If your layover is on Guam, you will be whisked to Rota on a Cessna 402 operated by Cape Air, a partner of Continental Micronesia.  The flight takes 30 minutes at the most.  If you are lucky, you'll be the only passenger as I was on Dec. 6 of 2004, and thereby got an extended tour of Rota by air.   (Below) The eastern end of Songsong village and northern shore of Sasanhaya Bay show the fantastic colors the Pacific is famous for.  Click the image for a larger version.

There are several hotels on Rota.  The Rota Resort and Country Club, the Bayview Hotel, the Blue Penninsula Hotel, the Rota Hotel, etc.  I stayed at the Rota Resort and Country Club.  Though not a golfer, and this resort maintains an excellent course, this is the resort Continental Micronesia contracts with for three day/two night packages that are quite affordable, being just over $300 for your airfare and room.  My room, even as a single occupant, was a two bedroom suite with ocean view.  Check with a travel agent and do some internet research to see what the others have to offer.

The Rota Resort, photographed at night with Christmas lights up, is a very small resort, but very clean and nicely maintained.  The evidence of the massive typhoons of the past two years that have

hit the Marianas are evident in the resort's chipped and cracked paint, both outside the buildings and in the rooms.  However, there is no mold or mildew to be found in the rooms.  The carpets and furniture are very well-kept, the food at the resorts Pacifica Resturant (not shown), while a bit pricey (as you would expect) is most excellent and the Pacifica itself is a lovely, spacious tropical dining room with large windows all around affording a great view and plenty of sunlight.  Rota, like the rest of the CNMI and Guam USA, is suffering from a tourist slump brought on by the bursting of the 1990's Japanese tourist bubble, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, and the typhoons of the last two years.  But they are keeping up the facilities nicely, and it was a very, very pleasant place to stay.

Rota is alive with many varieties of hibiscus and other tropical plants.   The jungles consist of far more original growth than do Guam's or Saipan and Tinian's since the U.S. did not conduct and invasion during World War II.

(Left) Many of Rota's beaches, such as Mochong Beach, are not safe for swimming due to the powerful ocean currents that break right upon them.  They are, however, deserted, clean, and quiet.  With so few people on them, there is no trash.

Rota, like Guam, has several Latte Stone sites.  These Latte Stones were the foundation pillars of the ancient Chamorro's houses.  Consisting of a shaft stone, or "Haligi" and a cap stone, or "Tasa" and carved from coral rock, the bigger the Latte Stone, the higher up in the Chamorro nobility the house's occupants were.   You can see some of the larger stones collapsed by the sea shore at the

Mochong Latte Stone site just east of Mochong Beach.  The stone in the photo above is the most obvious and recognizable stone, but if you take a few minutes to study the rocks in the ground cover, you will see the remains of several house, both houses of nobles (larger stones) and the 'peasant' classes (small stones).  The stones used to stand as do the stones in inset photo, which was taken at Agana, Guam's Latte Stone Park.

Rota, like the rest of the Marianas, is coral rock that has been uplifted after being laid down on a volcanic base.  Guam is the oldest of the first five islands of the Marianas, and Guam's southern mountains are the remains of the volcanic caldera that began this string of islands.

Rota does not boast suck sinewy volcanic cliffs, but is comprised of several tiers of uplifted coral that once was a living reef.  Above, the At Matmos cliffs show the typical sheer-wall construction of uplifted coral rock.  However, at some points, like the magnificent and dangerous At Matmos shore, you can see the sea pounding the naked volcanic rock with too much power for coral to take hold.  Click the above right image for a larger view of the powerful ocean waves crashing over the volcanic rock.

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