Rota (

Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mar ...

: Luta), also known as the "Friendly Island", is the southernmost island of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwea ...

(CNMI) and the second southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago. In early Spanish records it is called "Zarpana"; the name Rota may have come from the Spaniards possibly naming the island after the municipality of

Rota, Spain The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns of Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of ...

. It lies approximately north-northeast of the United States territory of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Sinapalo Sinapalo or Sinapalu is a village on the island of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands. The village is the largest settlement on the island (followed by Songsong, in the southwest), it is located south of the island's airport, Rota Internation ...

village is the largest and most populated, followed by

Songsong Songsong is the second largest village on the island of Rota, Northern Mariana Islands, United States. As of 2000, its population is 593. Songsong is located along the southern coast, in a narrow peninsula. The village's most recognizable lan ...

village (Songsong). Rota also functions as one of the four municipalities of the CNMI.

History

In 1521, the first European to see Rota was the lookout on

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...

's ship ''Victoria'', Lope Navarro. However, Magellan's armada of three ships did not stop until they reached

, so the first European to arrive in Rota (in 1524), was the Spanish navigator

Juan Sebastián Elcano Juan Sebastián Elcano (Elkano in modern Basque; sometimes given as ''del Cano''; 1486/1487Some sources state that he was born in 1476. Most of this sources try to make a point about him participating on a military campaign at the Mediterranean w ...

, who annexed it together with the rest of the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

on behalf of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. As with the other islands of the northern Marianas, Rota was sold to the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

under the German–Spanish Treaty of 1899. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the islands were occupied by the

Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

. In 1919, the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

formally recognized Japanese control under the

South Seas Mandate The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the "South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following Wo ...

. However, development of Rota lagged behind that of neighboring

Tinian Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...

and

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, with only 1000 Japanese residents arriving by the end of December 1935, most of them employed in raising

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

and in sugar refining. The refinery was not economical, and it was closed three years later. The Japanese garrison during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

consisted of 1,031

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

men of the 10th Independent Mixed Brigade, under the command of Major Shigeo Imagawa, and about 600

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

men. During the final stages of the war, Rota was occasionally bombed by aircraft of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

in an attempt to silence its radio transmitter that was providing warning to the

Japanese home islands The Japanese archipelago (Japanese: 日本列島, ''Nihon rettō'') is a group of 6,852 islands that form the country of Japan, as well as the Russian island of Sakhalin. It extends over from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East Chi ...

upon the take-off of

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

attacks from Tinian, Saipan, and Guam, but the island was never invaded by American troops. B-29 bombers on Guam would use Rota to dump their bombs should they have a mechanical issue and need to turn back during a raid on Japan. On September 2, 1945, one hour after the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

, a detachment of

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

s arrived on Rota to accept the surrender of the Japanese garrison, which numbered 947 Imperial Japanese Army and 1853 Imperial Japanese Navy. After the end of World War II, Rota became part of the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. History Spain initially claimed the islands that later composed the territory of the Trus ...

. Since 1978, the island has been a part of the

. The current mayor is Efraim Manglona Atalig.

Geography

Rota is long and wide.Measured in Google Earth 06 October 2014 Its coastline is about long. The highest point on Rota is Mt. Sabana which is . Rota is north of

, south of

and south of

. Rota has diverse flora and fauna including the endemic and endangered Rota white-eye,

Mariana fruit bat The Mariana fruit bat (''Pteropus mariannus''), also known as the Mariana flying fox, and the ''fanihi'' in Chamorro, is a megabat found only in the Mariana Islands and Ulithi (an atoll in the Caroline Islands). Habitat loss has driven it to enda ...

, and

Mariana crow The Mariana crow (''Corvus kubaryi'') (Chamorro name: ''aga'') is a species of the crow family from the South Pacific. It is a glossy black bird about long and known only from the islands of Guam and Rota. It is a rare bird which has steadily ...

. Much of the island, especially where there are remnants of native forest, have been recognised as forming an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

Transportation

Rota has an airport,

Rota International Airport Rota International Airport , also known as Benjamin Taisacan Manglona International Airport, is a public airport located on Rota Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), near the village of Sinapalo. The air ...

Education

Post-secondary

Northern Marianas College Northern Marianas College (NMC) is a public land-grant college in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The college was founded in Susupe in 1976. NMC today has three campuses on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and ...

established the Rota Instructional Site to provide post-secondary, continuing, and adult education and training opportunities for the purpose of improving the quality of life for the people of Rota. Since its inception in August 1986, the Rota Instructional Site has assisted many people who chose to pursue college education locally over the high cost of post-secondary education elsewhere. Many students have obtained a Certificate of Completion, an associate degree, or the bachelor of science degree in Elementary Education, have found better paying jobs, and have continued pursuing higher degrees. The results are positive, and the community has depended on NMC for quality education and training. Presently, Rota offers a variety of programs: * Adult Basic Education, * Upward Bound, * Educational Talent Search, * CREES (Agriculture and Aquaculture Extension), * 4H Club, and * Expanded Food & Nutrition Education (EFNEP), * Business Development Workshops, * Continuing Education Courses, and * Community Services Programs

Primary and secondary

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System (CNMI PSS) is a school district serving the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory. Its headquarters are in Susupe, Saipan. Schools 7–12 schools Rota * Dr. R ...

operates public schools. Rota has two public schools: * Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior & Senior High School. In August 2011, Rota's junior and senior high schools were merged due to budget concerns. They are now Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior & Senior High School. With this merger, the junior high now consists only of the 7th and 8th grades. The 6th grade was moved to Sinapalo Elementary in Sinapalo Village. RHIJSHS is located on the former junior high school campus in Songsong Village. Rota Jr./Sr. High School was formed in 2006 by the consolidation of Rota High School and Rota Junior High School.Home of the Bucks!
" Rota Jr./Sr. High School. August 28, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2018. The mascot is the Buck. * Sinapalo Elementary School is located in Sinapalo village. Rota's elementary school and junior high school (middle school) were formerly located in the same area and shared class buildings at Songsong village. After the new elementary school was built in Sinapalo, the Songsong village school ground was reopened as Rota Junior High. In 2010, the junior high school was renamed for the former Commissioner of Education, Dr. Rita Hocog Inos. Rota has two private schools: * Eskuelan San Francisco De Borja (ESFDB): Prep-8th Grade (Located in Songsong Village) * Grace Christian Academy (GCA): Prep-9th Grade (Located in Sinapalo Village)

Public library

Antonio C. Atalig Memorial Rota Public Library of the State Library of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is in

, Rota.ANTONIO C. ATALIG MEMORIAL LIBRARY
" State Library of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Retrieved on January 15, 2017. The current library was built circa 2002 but it did not open until its "soft" opening on February 26, 2012. It was named after Mayor of Rota Antonio C. Atalig. It adopted its current name in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rota (Island) Former German colonies Islands of the Northern Mariana Islands Municipalities of the Northern Mariana Islands Important Bird Areas of the Northern Mariana Islands