Forgotten World (205): North Marianas
The Northern Marianas is a chain of 14 islands in the north-west Pacific Ocean. It is self-governing but linked politically to the United States.
The territory is exempt from US minimum wage and immigration laws; this has helped to drive a billion-dollar garment trade which employs thousands of migrant workers, many of them from China and the Philippines. Migrants outnumber the indigenous Chamarro and Carolinian populations.
The industry was dealt a blow in 2005 when, under liberalised world trade rules, the US scrapped import quotas on Chinese-made garments. Economic woes were compounded when, months later, Japan Airlines ended flights to the territory, hitting the tourist trade.