Guam
Guam (
Chamorro:
Guåhån), officially the
U.S. Territory of Guam, is an island in the Western
Pacific Ocean and is an
organized unincorporated territory of the
United States. Its inhabitants are the
Chamorros, who first populated the island approximately 4,000 years ago. It is the largest and southernmost of the
Mariana Islands. The capital is
Hagåtña, formerly Agana (pronounced Agaña). Guam's economy is mainly supported by
tourism (particularly from
Japan,
Korea and
China) and
United States armed forces bases. The
United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes Guam on the
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Main articles: Geography of GuamGuam is located at and has an area of 209.85
square miles (543.52
km²). 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. The island's population is most dense in the northern and central regions. Guam is the southernmost island in the Mariana island chain and is the largest island in Micronesia. The
Marianas Trench, a deep
subduction zone, lies beside the island chain. The
Challenger Deep, the deepest point on
earth, is southwest of Guam at 35,797
feet (10,911
m) deep. The island experiences occasional
earthquakes due to being on the edge of the pacific plate. In recent years, quakes with epicenters near Guam have had magnitudes ranging from 7.0 to 8.2. Guam is not volcanically active though the
Anatahan volcano in the northern Marianas is.
*Satellite images of southern and northern Guam.
Guam's first contact with western civilization occurred when
Portuguese navigator
Ferdinand Magellan reached the island in 1521 during his circumnavigation of the globe. General
Miguel López de Legazpi claimed Guam for Spain in 1565. Spanish colonization commenced in 1668 with the arrival of Padre
San Vitores, who established the first Catholic mission. Between 1668 and 1815, Guam was an important resting stop on the
Spanish trade route between
Mexico and the
Philippines. Guam, along with the rest of the Mariana and
Caroline islands, 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
United States took control of the island in 1898 after the
Battle of Guam of 1898 in the
Spanish-American War. Guam came to serve as a way station for American ships traveling to and from the Philippines, while the northern Mariana islands passed to Germany then Japan.
During
World War II, Guam was attacked and invaded by the Japanese armed forces on December 8, 1941. The Northern Mariana Islands had become a Japanese protectorate before the war. The Guam Chamorros were treated as an occupied enemy by the Japanese military. To this day, Guam remains the only U.S. soil, with a sizeable population, that suffered under foreign military power occupation. 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.
The United States returned and fought the
Battle of Guam in July 21, 1944 to recapture the island from Japanese military occupation. While the Northern Marianas were also liberated from Japanese rule and came under the U.S. political rule and commonwealth status, a cultural rift between Guam and Northern Mariana Chamorros remains.
The
Guam Organic Act of 1950, which established Guam as an unincorporated
organized territory of the United States, provided for the structure of the island's government, and granted the people United States citizenship.
On
March 23 1983, the
Apatosaurus was made the
official state dinosaur of Guam.
Guam is governed by a popularly elected
governor and a
unicameral 15 member
legislature. Additionaly Guam elects one non-voting delegate to the
US House of Representatives, but does not participate in the
US presidential election.
There is a significant movement in favor of the Territory becoming a
commonwealth, which would give it a political status similar to
Puerto Rico and the
Northern Mariana Islands. 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 greater whole.
Most people on Guam favor a modified version of the current Territorial status, involving greater autonomy from the federal government (similar to the autonomy of individual States). Perceived indifference by the U.S. Congress regarding a change-of-status petition submitted by Guam has led many to feel that the territory is being unjustly deprived of the benefits of a more equitable union with the United States.
See: List of Guam Governors |
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Asan, Guam |
Main article: Villages of Guam
Guam is divided into 19
villages. They include: Agana Heights, Agat, Asan, Barrigada, Chalan Pago-Ordot, Dededo, Hagatna, Inarajan, Mangilao, Merizo, Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Piti, Santa Rita, Sinajana, Talafofo, Tamuning, Umatac, Yigo, and Yona. The U.S. miliary maintains jurisdiction over bases comprising approximately one quarter of the island's area. These bases include:
*
Andersen Air Force Base, Yigo
*
Naval Air Station, Tiyan (Now administered by the government of Guam)
*
Guam Naval Station, Orote peninsula
*
Ordnance Annex, south central highlands (formerly known as Naval Magazine)
*
Naval communications station Barrigada and Finegayan
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 U.S. Federal Treasury into which Guam pays no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US 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, Korean, and Chinese tourists, and with over 20 large hotels, a DFS Galleria, Pleasure Island aquarium, SandCastle Las Vegas shows and other shopping and entertainment features in its chief tourism city of
Tumon, the island's economy has grown dramatically. It is a relatively short flight from Asia compared to
Hawaii, and a series of hotels and golf courses were built to cater to tourists. Today, about 90 percent of tourists to Guam are Japanese. Significant sources of revenue include
duty-free designer shopping outlets, and the American-style malls:
Micronesia Mall,
Guam Premium Outlets, and the
Agana Shopping Center and various businesses catering to tourists in
Tumon.
The economy had been stable since 2000 due to increased tourism, mainly from Japan, but took a more recent downturn along with the rest of Asia. Guam has a 14% unemployment rate, and the government suffered a $314 million shortfall in 2003.[
1]
The following is the amount in billion of dollars, that the Government of Guam has spent in Federal grants for various government and economic expenditures minus those of the United States Armed Forces:[
2]
:1993 - $1.004::1994 - $1.061::1995 - $0.809::1996 - $0.829::1997 - $0.846::1998 - $0.998::1999 - $0.844::2000 - $0.841::2001 - $0.907::2002 - $1.113::2003 - $1.538
"The
Compact of Free Association between the United States of America, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands was signed in 1982, and ratified in 1986. It accorded the former entities of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands a political status of 'free association.'" The Compact was an agreement to which the Guam was not a party. However, Guam along with Hawaii and California have borne the economic brunt of this treaty.
Main articles: Communications in Guam, Transportation in GuamGuam is served by
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport. Most residents travel in Guam using personally owned cars; however, a limited bus system for residents exists. Most of the island has mobile phone service and high speed internet is increasing in availibility. Though Guam is part of the United States, some U.S. long distance plans and courier services list Guam as an international location.
(Notes added 2006/06/10)The limited bus system was created mainly for the growing tourist industry. Residents generally always drive even to cross the street, at least in past experience residing on the island. In recent years, the speed limit on Guam has been dropping, mostly as a result of increased population and the congestion that has resulted.
You only need to dial a 1 (one) instead of 011 (for international calls) followed by the area code 671. i.e. 1-671-555-1212 instead of 011-671-555-1212. The price of calls to and from Guam and the rest of the USA has also dropped significantly as a result.
Most companies in the US mainland still treat Guam as a foreign country and refuse to sell and ship items to Guam. Only a few companies will actually sell and ship products directly to Guam. TigerDirect, a computer systems and parts company will Ship to Guam and other Marianas Islands. Autocad resellers as well as others will tell you to call Malaysia or Singapore, which is incorrect. Autodesk has resellers in TX(Dell) and IL(CDW) who will sell to Guam. Guam uses the USPS and uses a standard US ZIP+4. While there are street addresses, the USPS on Guam does not deliver to homes. Residents must get a P.O. Box to receive mail. Fedex and the USPS will not deliver to home addresses, but DHL will deliver to the home.
Mail will take approximately 2 weeks to travel between Guam and California. Express mail and Fedex may take 1 or 2 weeks, only DHL will get there in 1-2 days, but it is expensive. Much of the mail to and from Guam routes through Hawaii and awaits cargo space on Continental Airlines which is contracted to deliver mail between Hawaii and Guam. Continental Airlines has slightly improved their service between Hawaii and Guam by buying newer airplanes and finally replacing their aging fleet in recent years.
There are no direct flights to Guam from the mainland US. Flights to Guam go through Hawaii, Japan, or Korea first and generally requires a layover and a plane transfer. A flight from Hawaii to Guam takes approximately 7 hours (depending on trade winds). A flight to Hawaii, either from San Francisco or Los Angeles takes approximately 5 hours. A flight to Japan or Korea takes 10-12 hours with another 3-4 hour flight to reach Guam. The flight through Japan or Korea offers better ammenities than the flight through Hawaii. The difference of 2-3 hours matters little in these nearly day long trips. Continental (and now their affiliate Northwest) charges you for headphones through Hawaii. (It must be the result of tourists) Going through Japan, they now offer free headphones, individual screens with movies on demand that you can pause as well as video games on demand. Coming back through Hawaii requires you to get your luggage from baggage claim go through customs and check in your luggage again. They will confiscate fruits you have just taken off your previous flight's snack trays. However, you can buy fruits and vegetables inside the airport and still bring it on board the aircraft to California.
If possible, I recommend flying through Japan through some airline that's not Continental. At least Continental and their partner Northwest has better planes for this leg of the trip, probably due to competition from JAL, Aseana and others. I fiy continental because of frequent traveller mileage on Continental Air Micronesia, the monopoly that you must use to get to the other smaller Micronesian Islands. The pilots on these Continental flights are top notch, for landing these behemoths on such small and sometimes broken runways, but the Airline itself still needs improvement over the Pacific. The J.D. Powers award Continental received must not have included the Pacific, or else Continental was so poor that they could only improve and hence easily got the award.
The climate is characterized as tropical marine. The weather is generally warm and humid with little seasonal temperature variation. The mean high temperature is 86 degrees
Fahrenheit (30 °
C) and mean low is 76 degrees
Fahrenheit (24 °
C) with an average annual rainfall of 86
inches (2,180
mm).
The dry season runs from December through June. The remaining months constitute the rainy season. The highest risk of typhoons is during October and November.
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 Super Typhoon Pongsona, with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour, which slammed Guam leaving massive destruction on December 8, 2002.
(Notes and links added 2006/08/10)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Pacific_typhoon_season
http://www.pacificworlds.com/guam/land/winds.cfm
http://www.rms.com/Catastrophe/Models/Guam.asp
Super Typhoon Pamela in 1976 was important to Guam, since that was when all the wooden structures started to be replaced with concrete with each subsequent typhoon. Termite population may have dropped as a result of this change. By the 80's many homes were concrete and more or less "Typhoon proof". Telephone or Power poles were all slowly being replaced by concrete poles and Steel poles(from the Navy) that were more resistant to typhoon winds. However, recent super typhoons have shown that some of the earlier concrete poles had inadequate rebar support at its base and improvements in design have resulted. New developments started getting Alumninum typhoon shutters in the 90's and many people have spent extra money to protect themselves by adding typhoon shutters. For people who have lived on Guam, typhoons are just normal yearly storms. Super typhoons are now what people worry about.
The brown tree snake
The island is also known as a prominent example for the disastrous effects of
bioinvasion: Thought to be a
stowaway on a U.S. military transport near the end of World War II, the slightly venomous, but rather harmless,
brown tree snake (
Boiga irregularis) came to Guam and killed most of the native bird population on the previously snake-free island. This snake has no natural predators on the island. Currently, Guam is one of the areas with the highest snake density in the world (an estimated 2,000 snakes/km²). Even so, residents rarely see these snakes. They curl up and hide during the day, and move about on trees and fences at night. As prodigious climbers, the snakes caused frequent blackouts by shorting across lines and transformers. Many power poles now have a slick metal sheath to prevent the snakes from climbing.
The disappearance of Guam's birds and bats (hunted and eaten in
Micronesia as a delicacy) could affect plants which require them to spread seeds. Guam's
flying foxes and small insect eating bats are the only mammals not introduced by humans. The loss of
insectivorous birds, bats, and lizards has also led to an increased presence of insect pests, which in turn has caused forest defoliation and decreased crop yields.
Other invasive animal species
From the 17th through 19th centuries, the Spanish introduced pigs, dogs, chickens, the Philippine deer (Cervis mariannus),
black francolins, and
water buffalo. Water buffalo, known as carabao 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 euthenizing the herds leading to organized protests from island residents. [
3]
Other introduced species include toads imported in 1937, the giant African Snail 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 that may have arrived from Hawaii have led to fears that the noise could even threaten Guam's tourism. [
4] 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
virus affecting coconut palms, was first observed on the island in 1917 when
copra 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. [
5] The dense forests of northern guam have been largely replaced by thick tangan tangan brush (Leucaena-native to the Americas). Much of Guam and Saipan's folliage was lost during World War II. In 1947, the U.S. military introduced the plant by seeding the island from the air to prevent
erosion. Non-native grass species also dominate much of southern Guam's landscape.
Wildfires
Wildfires plague southern Guam every
dry season despite the island's humid climate. All fires are man-caused with 80 percent resulting from
arson.
Poachers 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.
Grasslands and "barrens" have replaced previously forested areas leading to greater soil
erosion. During the
rainy season sediment is carried by the heavy rains into the
Fena Lake Resevoir and
Ugum River 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. [
6] [
7]
Aquatic preserves
As a vacation spot for
scuba divers, efforts have been made to protect Guam's coral reef habitats from
pollution, eroded
silt, and
overfishing 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. [
8] A federal Guam National Wildlife Refuge in northern Guam protects the decimated
sea turtle population in addition to a small colony of Mariana fruit bats.[
9]
Image:Whitespotted boxfish Ostracion meleagris photo Randall J E.jpgImage:Royal angelfish Pygoplites diacanthus photo Patzner R.jpgReef fish of Guam.(added 2006/08/10)
In the 90's, as hotels finally filled up the beachfront property along Tumon Bay, Tumon Bay was dredged by the hotel community to remove the seaweed that frequently washed ashore and "despoiled the beauty" of the beach. Currently, Tumon Bay, or Hotel Row, is a protected reserve, but it will take many years for the seaweed and fish to come back. The beach along Hotel Row was also covered with rocks, and that was dredged as well to remove the "hazards" that hotel clientelle must suffer. The once idyllic beachfront is now a mini Waikiki with Hawaiian style shows and dotted with shops. Currently, white sand is trucked in weekly to cover the slightly darker, browner sand that naturally occurs along Tumon Bay as waves wash the sands out to sea. Daily, morning rakings occur at the Hyatt Regency to make the sand look untouched by the masses of the previous day.
See: List of Guam schoolsThe
Guam Public School System [
10] serves the entire island of Guam. In 2000, 32,000 students attended Guam's public schools. Guam's public school system has been criticized for having poor management and inadequate facilities. Lack of funding and corruption are often cited as the causes. Recent losses in federal funding may lead to further problems.
Private schools had a total attendance of 6,000 in 2000, though attendance has increased in recent years. In 1998 the
U.S. Department of Defense opened schools for children of American military personnel.
DODEA schools had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. The
University of Guam and
Guam Community College offer courses in higher education.[
11][
12][
13]
* In the 1996
film version of
Roald Dahl's
Matilda, Matilda's family decide to move to Guam to avoid the arrest of Harry Wormwood, Matilda's father. Matilda protests and is quickly adopted by her teacher Miss Honey.
* Another noteworthy mention of Guam is made by author
Gordon Korman in his
Island trilogy series. Guam is the setting in the first book,
Shipwreck, where six "naughty" kids are put on a ship and become shipwrecked, but learn skills of survival, trust, and friendship along the way.
* In the episode of
Disney Channel's
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody where Zack helps Maddie to achieve the prom of her dreams, Zack is led to believe that he is Maddie's dream date, despite the fact that Maddie is three years older. Zack reasons with his mom that when he's 17 and Maddie is 20, they could "get married in 48 states" and
Guam.
* In the episode of NBC's
Friends where Rachel turns 30 she is bummed out about turning thirty years old and she says "You know, I'm still 29 in Guam." This, however, would be an incorrect statement as Guam lies west of the
International Date Line.
* In
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, one character wants to leave to perform in the musical
Rent as it tours Guam.
*
Mariah Carey heard that the island had no birds due to the brown snake and she offered to release birds there. A Guamanian politician met with her to let her know it is not exactly true.
* In the 2004 comedy "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" starring
Vince Vaughn and
Ben Stiller, the lead female character Kate mentions Guam when her friend unexpectedly shows up to watch the championship dodgeball match.
* In "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)" A small clip of Guam is shown in the beginning of the movie.
* In Christopher Moore's books "Island of the Sequined Love Nun" and "The Stupidest Angel" the sunglass wearing fruit bat character, Roberto, is mentioned as being from Guam.
* In
Adam Sandler's Mr. Deeds when lawyers are trying to find where the heir lives, they joke that there is a pool going for how likely the heir lives on Guam.
* The movie "Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon" (2004) (starring
Carmen Electra) was shot on location on Guam.
* Square-Enix designer
Tetsuya Nomura was born on Guam in 1970.
* In the 2001
Jerry Zucker comedy film,
Rat Race (film), Duane Codyis asked (after he and brother Blaine Codyhad destroyed the airport RADAR tower) where his license was issued and his response was, "In Guam."
* In an episode of Disney's "Kim Possible", Wade tells Kim that her next mission is to go to Guam because a pack of giant spiders has attacked a village
* In the movie
Wedding Crashers, Todd Cleary, the homosexual son of William Cleary, claims that his father threatened to send him to live in a shack on Guam.
* In the animated series
The Critic, Duke Phillips becomes confused over the proper designation for the citizens of Guam and conjectures "
Guameranians" and "
Guami Bears" during his presidential bid.
*
List of radio stations in Guam*
Scouting on Guam*
Guam, United States Census Bureau*
War in the Pacific - Liberation of Guam*
Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi, Japan's "No-Surrender" Soldier *
Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Member, U.S. Congress*
Guam Visitors Bureau*
Guam Chamber of Commerce*
Guam Election Commission*
Official Guam Webpage*
Challenger Deep - Marianas Trench*
University of Guam Planetarium *
Guam Code Annotated*
Guampedia* [https://www.guamtax.com/ Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation]
*
Guam Humanities Council*
Pacific Daily News, Guam's Primary Newspaper*
Marianas Variety*
KUAM, Guam's Primary News Channel*
Map of Micronesia*
Maps - Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection*
myMicronesia/Guam section*
The Brown Tree Snake on Guam How the arrival of one invasive species damaged the ecology, commerce, electrical systems, and human health on Guam: A comprehensive information source.
*
U.S. Library of Congress - Portals to the World*
Guam Power Authority Sea Water Air Conditioning Project*
Commander, Naval Forces Marianas (COMNAVMAR) Guam*
Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB) Guam
