Guam

<p>Guam was settled by Austronesian people around 1500 B.C. These people became the indigenous Chamorro and were influenced by later migrations, including the Micronesians in the first millennium A.D., and island Southeast Asians around 900. Society was stratified, with higher classes living along the coast and lower classes living inland. Spanish explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN was the first European to see Guam in 1521, and Spain claimed the island in 1565 because it served as a refueling stop for ships between Mexico and the Philippines. Spain formally colonized Guam in 1668. Spain’s brutal repression of the Chamorro, along with new diseases and intermittent warfare, reduced the indigenous population from more than 100,000 to less than 5,000 by the 1700s. Spain tried to repopulate the island by forcing people from nearby islands to settle on Guam and preventing them from escaping.<br><br>Guam became a hub for whalers and traders in the western Pacific in the early 1800s. During the 1898 Spanish-American War, the US Navy occupied Guam and set up a military administration. The US Navy opposed local control of government despite repeated petitions from the Chamorro. Japan invaded Guam in 1941 and instituted a repressive regime. During the US recapture of Guam in 1944, the island’s two largest villages were destroyed. After World War II, political pressure from local Chamorro leaders led to Guam being established as an unincorporated organized US territory in 1950, with US citizenship granted to all Chamorro. In a referendum in 1982, more than 75% of voters chose closer relations with the US over independence, although no change in status was made because of disagreements on the future right of Chamorro self-determination. The US military holds about 29% of Guam’s land and stations several thousand troops on the island. The installations are some of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific; they also constitute the island’s most important source of income and economic stability.</p>

Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines

13 28 N, 144 47 E

Oceania

three times the size of Washington, D.C.

125.5 km

tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation

volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in center, mountains in south

aquatic wildlife (supporting tourism), fishing (largely undeveloped)

2 sq km (2012)

no large cities exist on the island; large villages (municipalities) attract much of the population; the largest of these is Dededo

frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare but potentially destructive typhoons (June to December)

largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago and the largest island in Micronesia; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 46.1% (Chamorro 32.8%, Chuukese 6.7%, Palauan 1.4%, Pohnpeian 1.4%, Yapese 1%, other Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 2.8%), Asian 35.5% (Filipino 29.1%, Korean 2.2%, Japanese 1.4%, Chinese (except Taiwanese) 1.3%, other Asian 1.5%), White 6.8%, African descent or African-American 0.9%, Indigenous 0.1%, other 0.6%, mixed 10% (2020 est.)

English 43.3%, Filipino 24.9%, Chamorro 16%, other Pacific Island languages 9.4%, Asian languages 6.5% (2020 est.)

Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) 94.2%, folk religions 1.5%, Buddhist 1.1%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 1.7% (2020 est.)

0.08% (2025 est.)

17.9 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-10.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

no large cities exist on the island; large villages (municipalities) attract much of the population; the largest of these is Dededo

147,000 HAGATNA (capital) (2018)

2.7 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.31 (2025 est.)

40.4% (2020 est.)

freshwater scarcity; reef damage; inadequate sewage treatment; rapid proliferation of the non-native brown tree snake&nbsp;

tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation

unincorporated organized territory of the US with local self-government; republican form of territorial government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches

unincorporated, organized territory of the US, with policy relations between Guam and the Federal government under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

common law modeled on US system; US federal laws apply

see United States

18 years of age; universal

Democratic Party<br>Republican Party

none (territory of the US)

AOSIS (observer), IOC, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU

none (territory of the US)

Discovery Day (or Magellan Day), first Monday in March (1521)

<strong>description:</strong> territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse containing a beach scene, a <em>proa (</em>outrigger canoe with sail), and a palm tree; the word GUAM in red is centered in the ellipse; the proa is sailing in Agana Bay with the promontory of Puntan Dos Amantes in the background<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> blue stands for the sea and red for the blood shed in the fight against oppression; the central emblem is shaped like a Chamorro sling stone (a weapon for defense or hunting)

coconut tree

deep blue, red

small Pacific island US territorial economy; upper income, tourism-based economy; hard-hit by COVID-19 disruptions; relaunched many industries via vaccination tourism; domestic economy relies on multiple military bases; environmentally fragile economy

$6.91 billion (2022 est.)

fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef

national defense, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles

77,700 (2024 est.)

Taiwan 42%, Hong Kong 12%, Philippines 11%, Italy 8%, Australia 6% (2023)

scrap iron, scrap copper, trunks and cases (2023)

Singapore 52%, Japan 15%, Malaysia 6%, Taiwan 4%, Greece 4% (2023)

refined petroleum, cars, trunks and cases, gas turbines, flavored water (2023)

<p>the US dollar is used</p>

about a dozen TV channels, including digital; multi-channel cable TV services are available; roughly 20 radio stations

.gu

N

3 (2025)

2 (2025)

Guam Police Department (GPD); Guam (US) National Guard&nbsp;

the US military maintains thousands of active-duty uniformed personnel and several bases and installations on the island