United States
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
119km²
Area
83km
Coastline
474m
Highest point
Mount Tapochau
48,220
People
30°C
Warmest sea
September
2,823km
To the mainland
When to go to Saipan
Best for the beach from January to May.
The sea is warmest in September (30 °C) and coolest in February (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, United States of America
Saipan is an island in United States. It covers 119 km², with 83 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Tapochau, rises to 474 m. About 48,220 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 2,823 km away.
Getting there
- Saipan International Airport (SPN)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at GUM airport (Hagåtña)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 2,823 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to Maybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Saipan.
- 29beachesUnai Chalan Kiya, Chalan Lao Lao Beach, Kilili Beach and 26 more
- 3viewpointsBird Island Overlook, Overlook Point, Forbidden Island Lookout
- 1lighthousesJapanese Lighthouse
- 2marinasOuter Cover Marina, Smiling Cove Marina
- 17named peaksMount Tapochau, Mount Petosukara, Okso' Do'gas and 14 more
- 3ruins and archaeological sitesOld Japanese Jail, Kalabera Cave, Chalan Galaide
- 2campsitesObyan Camp Site, Beach camping
- 37hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 55restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Saipan in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Saipan, each with its own numbers.
15beaches and covesCoastya
19mountainsPeakyas
1lakeLakeyas
Highest point
474m
Mount Tapochau
prominence 474 m · according to Peakyas
Largest lake
0.17km²
Lake Susupe
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
28.9°C
Lake Susupe
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.5°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
15 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Unai Dandan29.5°C
- Unai Chalan Kiya29.5°C
- Unai I Hasngot29.5°C
- Unai Peo29.5°C
- Unai Tanapag29.5°C
- Micro Beach29.5°C
- Unai Achugao29.5°C
- Unai Halaihai29.5°C
7 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
19 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Mount Tapochauprominence 474 m474m
- As Matuis Cliff232m
- Pidos Kalaho
- Mount Petosukara
- Naftan
- Okso Laolao
- Matansa
- I Hasngot
11 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
1 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Lake Susupe0.17km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 89 m above the sea. 90 % of it is below 200 m.
- 37 %0–50 m
- 52 %50–200 m
- 10 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Saipan48,220 people
- Garapan3,096 people
- Chalan Piao village1,338 people
- Fananganan village1,129 people
- Chalan Laulau Village1,087 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 65 | 38 | 32 | 45 | 47 | 74 | 154 | 302 | 262 | 226 | 103 | 59 |
| Wet days | 11 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 18 | 12 |
| Sun h/day | 7.4 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 9.8 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 7.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 27 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 28 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
| 2021 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| 2022 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
| 2023 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q51679) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit