Guam



Guam (: Guåhan), officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the Western and is an   of the. It is one of five U.S. territories with established civilian government. The island's capital is (formerly Agana). Guam is the largest and southernmost of the.

The, Guam's indigenous inhabitants, first populated the island approximately 4,000 years ago. The island has a long history of beginning in  with the arrival of, a Spanish. The island was captured from by the  during the  in. As the largest island in, it has strategic military importance. This led to its capture by ese in and  by Americans in  during. Today, Guam's economy is mainly supported by (primarily from ) and  bases.

History
navigator, sailing for the King of , reached the island in during his circumnavigation of the globe. General claimed Guam for Spain in. Spanish colonization commenced in with the arrival of Padre, who established the first Catholic mission. The islands were then governed as part of the from the. Between 1668 and, Guam was an important resting stop on the Spanish trade route between and the Philippines. Guam, along with the rest of the Mariana and, was treated by Spain as part of their colony in the Philippines. While Guam's Chamorro culture is unique, the cultures of both Guam and the Northern Marianas were heavily influenced by Spanish culture and traditions.

The  of the island in the. Guam came to serve as a station for American ships traveling to and from the Philippines, while the northern Mariana islands passed to then. During, Guam was attacked, and invaded, by the armed forces of Japan on ,. Before the attack, most of the United States citizens were transported from the island and away from imminent danger. The Northern Mariana Islands had become a Japanese protectorate before the war. It was the Chamorros from the Northern Marianas who were brought to Guam to serve as interpreters and in other capacities for the occupying Japanese force. The Guamanian Chamorros were treated as an occupied enemy by the Japanese military. After the war, this would cause some resentment by the Guamanian Chamorros towards the Chamorros in the Northern Marianas. Guam's occupation lasted for approximately thirty-one months. During this period, the indigenous people of Guam were subjected to forced labor, family separation, incarceration, execution, concentration camps and prostitution. Approximately a thousand people died during the occupation according to Congressional Testimony in. The United States returned and fought the on, , to recapture the island from Japanese military occupation. The U.S. also captured and occupied the Northern Marianas. After the war, the, which established Guam as an unincorporated of the United States, provided for the structure of the island's civilian government, and granted the people United States citizenship.

Geography
Guam lies between 13.2°N and 13.7°N and between 144.6°E and 145.0°E, and has an area of 210 sqmi, making it the. It is the southernmost island in the island chain and is the largest island in. This island chain was created by the colliding Pacific and Philippine tectonic plates. The, a deep , lies beside the island chain to the east. , the deepest point on, is southwest of Guam at 35797 ft deep. The highest point in Guam is, which is 1,332 feet (406 m). The island of Guam is 30 mi long and 4 mi to 12 mi wide. The island experiences occasional s due to it being on the western edge of the and near the. In recent years, earthquakes with epicenters near Guam have had magnitudes ranging from 5.0 to 8.7. Unlike the  in the, Guam is not volcanically active. However, due to wind direction and proximity to Anatahan, volcanic ash activity does occasionally affect Guam.

The northern part of the island is a forested coralline limestone plateau while the south contains volcanic peaks covered in forest and grassland. A coral reef surrounds most of the island, except in areas where bays exist that provide access to small rivers and streams that run down from the hills into the Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea. The island's population is most dense in the northern and central regions.

Climate
The climate is characterized as tropical marine. The weather is generally hot and very humid with little seasonal temperature variation. The mean high temperature is 86° (30 °) and mean low is 76° (24 °C) with an average annual rainfall of 96 es (2,180 ). The dry season runs from December through June. The remaining months constitute the rainy season. The months of January and February are considered the coolest months of the year with night time temperatures in the mid to low 70's and generally lower humidity levels. The highest risk of typhoons is during October and November. They can occur, however, year-around.

An average of three tropical storms and one typhoon pass within 180 nautical miles (330 km) of Guam each year. The most intense typhoon to pass over Guam recently was, with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, which slammed Guam on , , leaving massive destruction. Since in  wooden structures have been largely replaced by concrete structures. During the wooden utility poles began to be replaced by typhoon-resistant concrete and steel poles. In the many home and business owners installed.

Demographics
According to the U.S. census conducted in 2000, the population of Guam was 154,805. The 2007 population estimate for Guam is 173,456. As of 2005, the annual population growth is 1.76%. The largest ethnic group are the native, accounting for 57% of the total population. Other ethnic groups include Filipino 25.5%, Caucasian 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and others. Today, Roman Catholicism is the largest religion with 85% attesting to it. The official languages of the island are English and Chamorro.

Culture
Traditional culture is visually manifested in, sea , unique , fishing, s (such as batu, chonka, estuleks, and bayogu),  and  influenced by the  of peoples from other lands. Spanish policy during colonial rule (1668-1898) was one of conquest and conversion to. This led to the gradual elimination of Guam's male warriors and displacement of the Chamorro people from their lands. In spite of the social upheavals, Guam's &mdash;known as "I Maga'håga"&mdash;continued the indigenous culture, language, and traditions.

Historian Lawrence Cunningham in wrote, "In a Chamorro sense, the land and its produce belong to everyone., or interdependence, is the key, or central value, in Chamorro culture ... Inafa'maolek depends on a spirit of cooperation. This is the armature, or core, that everything in Chamorro culture revolves around. It is a powerful concern for mutuality rather than  and private property rights."

The core culture or Pengngan Chamorro is comprised of complex social protocol centered upon respect: From the kissing of the hands of the elders (inspired by the kissing of a Roman Catholic bishop's ring by those whom he oversees), passing of legends, chants, and rituals, to a person requesting forgiveness from spiritual ancestors when entering a jungle. Other practices predating Spanish conquest include canoe-making, making of the  (a string musical instrument), fashioning of åcho' atupat slings and slingstones,  manufacture,  burial rituals and preparation of herbal s by.

Master craftsmen and women specialize in weavings, including plaited work (- and -leaf baskets, mats, bags, hats, and food containments), -woven material ( and fiber skirts, belts and burial shrouds), and body ornamentation (bead and shell necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts and combs made from  shells).

Today only few masters exist to continue traditional art forms. The cosmopolitan nature of Guam poses challenges for Chamorros struggling to preserve their culture and identity amidst forces of acculturation. The increasing numbers of Chamorros, especially Chamorro youth, relocating to the U.S. Mainland has further complicated both definition and preservation of Chamorro identity.

Government and politics


Guam is governed by a popularly elected and a  15 member. Guam elects one non-voting delegate, currently, to the. Citizens in Guam vote in a for their choice in the U.S. Presidential general election, but since Guam has no votes in the, the poll has no real effect. However, in sending delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions, Guam does have influence in the national presidential race, although these convention delegates are elected by local party conventions rather than voters in primaries.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a significant movement in favor of the territory becoming a, which would give it a political status similar to and the. However, the federal government gave no response to Guam's request for commonwealth status for a decade before Guam leaders gave up the quest in the late 1990s. Competing movements with less significant influence exist, which advocate political independence from the United States, statehood, or a combination with the Northern Mariana Islands as a single commonwealth. These proposals however, are not seen as favorable or realistic within the U.S. federal government, which argues Guam does not have the financial stability or self sufficiency to warrant such status. The same sources quickly provide evidence of Guam’s increasing reliance on federal spending, and question how commonwealth status or statehood would benefit the United States as a whole.

Villages and Military Bases


Guam is divided into 19 municipalities commonly called s. The U.S. military maintains jurisdiction over bases comprising approximately one quarter of the island's area:
 * – Orote peninsula
 * – South Central Highlands (formerly known as Naval Magazine)
 * – and Finegayan
 * – and Finegayan

Economy
Guam's economy depends primarily on tourism, the United States military base presence, and other federal spending. Although Guam receives no foreign aid, it does receive large transfer payments from the general revenues of the into which Guam pays no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of, the Guam treasury, rather than the U.S. treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian federal employees stationed in Guam.

Sometimes called "America in Asia," Guam is a popular destination for Japanese and Korean tourists, and with over 20 large hotels, a DFS Galleria, Pleasure Island aquarium, SandCastle -styled shows and other shopping and entertainment features in its chief tourism city of. It is a relatively short flight from Asia compared to, with hotels and golf courses catering to tourists. About 90 percent of tourists to Guam are Japanese. Significant sources of revenue include designer shopping outlets, and the American-style malls:, , and the.

The economy had been stable since 2000 due to increased tourism, mainly from Japan, but took a recent downturn along with the rest of Asia. It is expected to stabilize when U.S. Marine personnel and operations currently in (appr. 8000, along with their 10,000 dependents) will transfer to Guam sometime in 2007-2008. Guam has a 14% unemployment rate, and the government suffered a $314 million shortfall in 2003.

The between the United States, the, the Republic of the  and the Republic of  accorded the former entities of the  a political status of "free association" with the United States. The Compacts give citizens of these new nations generally no restrictions to reside in the United States, and many were attracted to Guam due to its proximity. Over the years, it was claimed by some in Guam that the territory has had to bear the brunt of this agreement in the form of public assistance programs and public education for those from the regions involved, and the federal government should compensate the states and territories affected by this type of migration. Over the years, Congress had appropriated "Compact Impact" aids to Guam, the and, and eventually this appropriation was written into each renewed Compact. Some, however, continue to claim the compensation is not enough.

Transportation and communications
Most of the island has mobile phone service and high speed internet is now widely available through cable or. Guam was added to the North American Numbering Plan in, removing the barrier of high cost international long-distance calls to the.

As Guam is also part of the U.S. Postal System (the postal code is GU), mail to Guam from the mainland is considered domestic and no additional charges are required. Private shipping companies, such as UPS, DHL or FedEx, however, have no obligation to and do not regard Guam as domestic. The speed of mail traveling between Guam and the states varies depending on size. Light, first-class items generally take less than a week to or from the mainland, but larger first-class or Priority items can take a week or two. Fourth-class mail, such as magazines, are transported by surface after reaching Hawaii. Most residents use post office boxes or, although residential delivery is becoming increasingly available.

Guam is served by the, which is a hub for. The island is outside the United States customs zone and maintains its own customs agency and jurisdiction. Therefore, the only carries immigration (but not customs) functions for incoming flights. Since Guam is under federal immigration jurisdiction, passengers arriving directly from the States skip immigration and directly proceed to customs. Since Guam has a visa waiver program for certain Asian tourists, an eligibility pre-clearance check is carried for flights to the States. For travel to and from the Northern Mariana Islands (which are outside of U.S. immigration jurisdiction), a full inspection is performed though American citizens do not need a passport. Traveling between Guam and the States through a foreign point (for example, a Japanese airport), however, requires a passport.

Most residents travel within Guam using personally owned vehicles. The local government operates an inefficient public bus system (Guam Mass Transit Authority), and some commercial companies operated buses between tourist-frequented locations.

Ecological issues
Guam exemplifies the effects of.

The brown tree snake
Thought to be a on a U.S. military transport near the end of World War II, the slightly venomous&mdash;but rather harmless&mdash; (Boiga irregularis) came to Guam and killed virtually all of the native bird population on an island that has no native species of snake; this snake has no natural predators on the island. Although some studies have suggested a high density of the brown tree snake, residents rarely see these nocturnal snakes. Prodigious climbers, the snakes cause frequent blackouts by shorting across lines and transformers.

Other invasive animal species
From the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, the Spanish introduced pigs, dogs, chickens, the Philippine deer (Cervus mariannus), s, and. Water buffalo, known as locally, have cultural significance. Herds of these animals obstruct military base operations and harm native ecosystems. After birth control and adoption efforts were ineffective, the U.S. military began euthanizing the herds leading to organized protests from island residents.

Other introduced species include imported in 1937, the giant African Snail (an agricultural pest introduced during WWII by Japanese occupation troops) and more recently frog species which could threaten crops in addition to providing additional food for the brown tree snake population. Reports of loud chirping frogs, known as, that may have arrived from Hawaii have led to fears that the noise could even threaten Guam's tourism.

Introduced feral pigs and deer, over-hunting, and habitat loss from human development are also major factors in the decline and loss of Guam's native plants and animals.

Threats to indigenous plants
Invading animal species are not the only threat to Guam's native flora. Tinangaja, a affecting coconut palms, was first observed on the island in 1917 when  production was still a major part of Guam's economy. Though coconut plantations no longer exist on the island, the dead and infected trees that have resulted from the epidemic are seen throughout the forests of Guam. Also during the past century, the dense forests of northern Guam have been largely replaced by thick tangan tangan brush (-native to the Americas). Much of Guam's foliage was lost during. In 1947, the U.S. military introduced tangan tangan by seeding the island from the air to prevent. In southern Guam, non-native grass species also dominate much of the landscape.

Wildfires
s plague the forested ("boonie" or "jungle") areas of Guam every despite the island's humid climate. Most fires are man-caused with 80 percent resulting from. often start fires to attract deer to the new growth. Invasive grass species that rely on fire as part of their natural life cycle grow in many regularly burned areas. s and "barrens" have replaced previously forested areas leading to greater soil. During the sediment is carried by the heavy rains into the  Reservoir and  leading to water quality problems for southern Guam. Eroded silt also destroys the marine life in reefs around the island. Soil stabilization efforts by volunteers and forestry workers to plant trees have had little success in preserving natural habitats.

Aquatic preserves
As a vacation spot for s, efforts have been made to protect Guam's coral reef habitats from, eroded , and that have led to decreased fish populations. In recent years the Department of Agriculture, Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources has established several new marine preserves where fish populations are monitored by biologists. Prior to adopting standards, portions of Tumon bay were dredged by the hotel chains in order to provide a better experience for hotel guests. Tumon Bay has since been made into a preserve. A federal Guam National Wildlife Refuge in northern Guam protects the decimated population in addition to a small colony of.

Primary and secondary schools
The  serves the entire island of Guam. In 2000, 32,000 students attended Guam's public schools. As in many school United States school districts, Guam Public Schools, has struggled with problems such as high drop out rates and poor test scores. Guam's educational system has always faced unique challenges as a small community located 6,000 miles form the U.S. mainland with a very diverse student body including many students who come from backgrounds without a traditional American education. An economic downturn in Guam since the mid 1990s has compounded the problems in schools. In 1998, the opened schools for children of American military personnel. schools, which also serve children of some federal civilian employees, had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. The four schools operated by DoDEA are Andersen Elementary School,, McCool Elementary/Middle School, and Guam High School.

Colleges and universities
The, , and offer courses in higher education.

Government

 * Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Delegate, U.S. Congress
 * Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency
 * Guam Election Commission
 * Guam Code Annotated
 * Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation

News

 * Marianas Variety "Guam's only true independent news source"
 * Pacific Daily News, A Gannett Newspaper
 * KUAM, Guam's Primary News Channel
 * "Pacific News Center - News You Can Trust

Overviews

 * allthingsguam A Guam History resource--virtual textbook, virtual workbook and more
 * Guampedia from the Guam Humanities Council and the University of Guam
 * Open Directory Project - Guam directory category
 * U.S. Library of Congress - Portals to the World: Guam
 * The World Factbook on Guam
 * Guam Connection - Guam directory and internet portal.

Military

 * Commander, Naval Forces Marianas (COMNAVMAR) Guam
 * Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB) Guam
 * War in the Pacific - Liberation of Guam
 * Congressional Testimony - Guam War Claims

Tourism

 * Wikitravel's Guide to Guam
 * Guam Visitors Bureau
 * Guam Portal

Others

 * Guam Chamber of Commerce
 * Maps - Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection