Commonwealth Covenant Day in Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is one of five inhabited American insular areas. It is one of two territories with US "commonwealth" status; the other is Puerto Rico. It consists of fifteen islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The CNMI and Guam together comprise the Marianas archipelago.

On March 24, the citizens of the Northern Mariana Islands celebrate a public holiday known as Commonwealth Covenant Day. It commemorates the anniversary of the enactment of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America in 1976.

On February 15,1975, a "Covenant to Establish A Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America" was signed by the Marianas Political Status Commission for the people of the Northern Mariana Islands and by the President’s Personal Representative, Ambassador F . Hayd n Williams for the United States of America, following which the covenant was approved by the unanimous vote of the Mariana Islands District Legislature on February 20. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972 and a covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the United States (78.8% of voters approved the covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US, voting in a plebiscite held on Jun e 17, 1975). Four referenda offering integration with Guam or changes to the islands’ status were held in 1958, 1961, 1963 and 1969.

The covenant was approved by the US Congress on March 24, 1976.

Source: cnmiopm.net | wikipedia.org | gpo.gov