Chalan Kanoa, Saipan

Chalan Kanoa Post Office

Chalan Kanoa (Old Japanese name: 茶覧, Charan) is one of the settlements on Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is located in the southwest of the island. The village contains the island's central post office, as well as the historic Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral[1] and Mount Carmel School, directed by the Spanish Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz. Once a separate village, it is now virtually contiguous with other nearby villages on Beach Road, including Susupe and San Antonio.

Prior to the emergence of Garapan as the center for tourism in Saipan in the 1990s, most of the island's tourist sector was based in Chalan Kanoa.[citation needed]

The main village of Chalan Kanoa from the Aquarius Beach Tower Hotel. At mid ground is the historic Mount Carmel Cathedral. Various grocery stores, clothing boutiques, and fast-food establishments litter the area. The island’s highest peak, Mount Tapochau, is in the background.
Chalan Kanoa from the ground. Aquarius Hotel stands to the right. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and the Town House Department Store and grocery store are to the right.

The village of Chalan Kanoa is considered to be one of the newest villages on the island.

One of the island's main thoroughfares, Beach Road (Highway 33), runs through Chalan Kanoa and connects it to the rest of the island.

As tourism is a large part of Saipan's economy, there are quite a few hotels located in the village. These include the recently renovated Chalan Kanoa Beach Hotel, The Aquarius Beach Tower and several small hotels.

Chalan Kanoa is also close to the CNMI's only lake, Lake Susupe.

  1. ^ "Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel". Giga Catholic. Retrieved 2013-05-23.