Welcome to my collection of

Photos from Saipan

 

Saipan is a tropical Island located in the Western Pacific, north of the equator. It is a part of the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan, Tinian and Rota), in Micronesia.

 

Saipan's first contact with the west was in the 1600's when Spanish ships stopped there on their way from New Spain (Mexico) to The Philippines. Jesuit Priests soon followed. Saipan was occupied briefly by the Germans at the turn of the 20th century then under mandate by the Japanese from 1918 until 1944.

 

In June 1944 the US invaded Saipan as part of it's push against the Japanese in the pacific. Saipan and Tinian would become very important in the US effort to defeat Japan in the Pacific. Both atomic bombs were loaded on to their B-29 Super Fortresses on Tinian.

 

Today Saipan and the North Mariana's are a Commonwealth within the USA. It is a popular diving and tourism destination for people in the Pacific and Asia.

 

Where is Saipan?

Saipan facts:

 

Saipan is located at 15 12 N, 145 45 E. A part of a chain of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.