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Tinian[tinEan´, tEnEAn´] Pronunciation Key, island (2000 pop. 3,540), 39 sq mi (101 sq km), W Pacific, one of the Northern Mariana Islands. The island lies immediately SW of Saipan. The inhabitants are of mixed Micronesian, Filipino, and Spanish descent. Tinian's once large phosphate deposits have been depleted. Vegetable gardening is now the main occupation, but attempts have been made to raise large numbers of cattle. In World War II Tinian was taken (1944) by U.S. forces and made into an important military base for attacks on the Japanese mainland. The planes that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were flown from Tinian.
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