About Guam

The Territory of Guam (Guahan) is an island in the Western Pacific Ocean and is an unincorporated territory of the United States. The capital is Hagåtña, formerly Agana. (Pronounced Agaña)

GUAM GOVERNORS
1969 - 1975 Carlos Garcia Camacho (Republican)
1975 - 1979 Ricardo Jerome Bordallo (Republican)
1979 - 1983 Paul McDonald Calvo (Republican)
1983 - 1987 Ricardo Jerome Bordallo (Republican)
1987 - 1995 Joseph F. Ada (Republican)
1995 - 2003 Carl T.C. Gutierrez (Democrat)
2003 - Felix Camacho (Republican)


History of Guam
On March 6, 1521 Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to discover Guam.
As a result of the Spanish-American War, Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898.

Guam was captured by the Japanese in 1941, and retaken by the US three years later. During World War II the Battle of Guam started on July 21, 1944 with an American troop landing and ended on August 10 in an Allied victory.

The military installations on the island are some of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific; when Navy and Air Force bases in the Philippines were closed after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, most of the forces stationed there were relocated to Guam.


Geography of Guam

Location: Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines
(detailed map)Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 47 E
Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 541.3 sq km
land: 541.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: three times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 125.5 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

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

Terrain: 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-rising hills in center, mountains in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m

Natural resources: fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan)

Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 11%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 45% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (especially in August)

Environment - current issues: extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic species

Geography - note: largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean

Demographics of Guam
Population: 154,623 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.9% (male 28,233; female 25,727)
15-64 years: 59.09% (male 48,126; female 43,238)
65 years and over: 6.01% (male 4,680; female 4,619) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.67% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 26.19 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 4.16 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.78 years
male: 75.51 years
female: 80.37 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.96 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Guamanian(s)
adjective: Guamanian

Ethnic groups: Chamorro 47%, Filipino 25%, white 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other 18%

Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)

Languages: English, Chamorro, Japanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1990 est.)


Politics of Guam
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Guam
conventional short form: Guam
Data code: GQ

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

Government type: NA

Capital: Hagatna (Agana)

Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)

Independence: none (territory of the US)

National holiday: Guam Discovery Day (first Monday in March) (1521); Liberation Day, 21 July (1944)

Constitution: Organic Act of 1 August 1950

Legal system: modeled on US; US federal laws apply

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch:
chief of state: President George W. Bush of the US (since January 20, 2001); Vice President Dick Cheney. (since January 20, 2001)

head of government: Governor Felix P. Camacho (elected November 2002)
and Lieutenant Governor Kaleo S. Moylan (elected November 2002)

Lt. Gov Dr. Michael Cruz

cabinet: executive departments; heads appointed by the governor with the consent of the Guam legislature
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for a four-year term; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held November 2002 (next to be held November 2006)
election results: Felix P. Camacho elected governor
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held November 2002 (next to be held November 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic 9, Republican 6
note: Guam elects one delegate to the US House of Representatives; election last held November 2002 (next to be held November 2004); results - Madelein Z. Bordallo was elected as delegate; percent of vote by party - NA;

Judicial branch: Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president); Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by the governor)

Political parties and leaders: Republican Party (party of the Governor) [leader NA]; Democratic Party (controls the legislature) [leader NA]

International organization participation: ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US)

Flag description: 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, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the national flag


Economy of Guam
Economy - overview: The economy depends mainly on US military spending and on tourist revenue. Over the past 20 years, the tourist industry has grown rapidly, creating a construction boom for new hotels and the expansion of older ones. More than 1 million tourists visit Guam each year. The industry suffered a setback in 1998 because of the continuing Japanese recession; the Japanese normally make up almost 90% of the tourists. Most food and industrial goods are imported. Guam faces the problem of building up the civilian economic sector to offset the impact of military downsizing.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $19,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1992 est.)

Labor force: 65,660 (1995)

Labor force - by occupation: federal and territorial government 31%, private 69% (trade 21%, services 33%, construction 12%, other 3%) (1995)

Unemployment rate: 2% (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $524.3 million
expenditures: $361.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995)

Industries: US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 800 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)

Electricity - consumption: 744 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Agriculture - products: fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef

Exports: $86.1 million (f.o.b., 1992)

Exports - commodities: mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products, construction materials, fish, food and beverage products

Exports - partners: United States 25%

Imports: $202.4 million (c.i.f., 1992)

Imports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Imports - partners: United States 23%, Japan 19%, other 58%

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - although Guam receives no foreign aid, it does receive large transfer payments from the general revenues of the US Federal Treasury into which Guamanians pay 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

Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: US currency is used

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September


Transport
Guam has no railways, nor does it have a merchant marine. The only port is Apra Harbor. Due to the construction of roads largely from coral (which is exceedingly slippery when wet), the top speed limit island-wide is 35mph. Its main commercial airport is the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport.
Highways:
total: 885 km
paved: 675 km
unpaved: 210 km
note: there is another 685 km of roads classified non-public, including roads located on federal government installations