History
The initial Western contact with Guam occurred in 1521, Ferdinand Magellan reached the southernmost Mariana Islands during his circumnavigation of the globe. General Miguel Legaspi claimed Guam and the other Mariana Islands for Spain in 1565. Spanish colonization commenced in 1668. The Chamorro population then was estimated at 50,000 throughout the Mariana Archipelago. However, introduced diseases and the Spanish-Chamorro wars decimated the Chamorro race, reducing the number of inhabitants to fewer than 2,000 by 1700. Guam served as a way station for the Spanish Acapulco-to-Manila galleons from 1668 to 1815.

The Spanish regime ended in 1898 when American forces took Guam during the Spanish-American War.  The Treaty of 1898, Article II, negotiated under President McKinley, transferred control of Guam to the United States.

Spain later sold the rest of the Mariana Islands, including Saipan, Tinian and Rota, to Germany.

From 1899 to 1941, Guam was under U.S. Naval Administration. At the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese seized Guam and occupied the island for two and a half years.

American forces recaptured Guam in July 1944, and the U.S. Naval Administration resumed responsibility when peace returned.

In 1950, the U.S. Government enacted the Guam Organic Act, conferring U.S. citizenship on the people of Guam and establishing local self-government. Under the Organic Act of 1950, the Secretary of the Interior assumed administrative responsibility for Guam, formerly vested in the Secretary of the Navy.

Political Status
Currently, Guam is an unincorporated, organized territory of the United States. It is "unincorporated" because not all provisions of the U.S. Constitution apply to the territory. Guam is an "organized" territory because the Congress provided the territory with an Organic Act in 1950 which organized the government much as a constitution would. The Guam Organic Act currently provides a republican form of government with locally-elected executive and legislative branches and an appointed judicial branch. Guam also has an elected representative to Congress -- The Honorable Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D).

Seeking to improve its current political status, the Guam Commission on Self-Determination has drafted a proposed Guam Commonwealth Act, which was approved in two 1987 plebiscites. In February 1988, the document was submitted to the Congress for its consideration and was introduced in four consecutive Congresses--the 100th through the 104th.

Government
The governmental structure is very much like a state government with a governor, legislature, and local judiciary. The executive branch is comprised of a popularly elected governor and lieutenant governor each serving a four-year term. The current Governor is the Honorable Felix Camacho and his Lt. Governor Kaleo Moylan.

The legislative branch is a 15 member unicameral legislature whose members are elected every two years.

The judicial system includes a territorial court called the Superior Court, a Supreme Court and a U.S. District Court. The U.S. District Court handles U.S. constitutional questions and other Federal cases. Appeals are channeled through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and from there to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Guam's Congressional Delegate possesses the same powers and privileges as Representatives from the several States, with the exception of voting on the House floor.

Geography
Guam is the largest and southern most island in the Mariana Archipelago. It is located 3,700 miles west-southwest of Honolulu; 1,500 miles east of Manila; and 1,500 miles south-southeast of Tokyo.

Guam, which was formed by an uplift of undersea volcanoes, is surrounded by coral reefs near the shore. The island is composed of two distinct geologic areas of about equal size. The northern part of the island is a high coralline limestone plateau rising 850 feet above sea level. This area contains the northern water lens, the main source of fresh water in Guam. The southern region is mountainous with elevations from 700 to 1,300 feet above sea level. The total land mass is 212 square miles.

Population
A person born in Guam is a United States citizen at birth. In Mid-1997 Guam's population was estimated at 151,968. Population density is approximately 590 per square mile, one of the highest in the United States. Of the total population, about 30,000 are military personnel and their dependents.

Ethnically, about 47 percent of the population are Chamorro; 25 percent are Filipino; 15 percent migrated from the U.S. mainland and 13 percent are Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Micronesian and Indian. Guam's population is relatively young; about 35 percent are under 15years of age.

Culture
During the past several centuries, Guam has evolved into a multi-ethnic society. When the first Spanish missionaries commenced their Christianization of the islands late in the 17th century, Guam's inhabitants were entirely Chamorros, whose origin is believed to be Malaysian. War and introduced diseases, however, nearly annihilated the indigenous people. Meanwhile, migrants flowed into Guam from various parts of the world, including Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, China, the United States, and Europe. Today, the Chamorros comprise slightly less than half of the population, but are still dominant in the political and social life of the island.

Most people are Christians, principally Roman Catholic. Other major religious denominations are Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventist, Latter-Day Saints and Episcopalians. Most other religions have adherents in Guam, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims.
 

Although most residents of Guam are bilingual, English is the common language. Chamorro and English are the official languages.

Economy
Guam’s economy is based on two main sources of revenue – tourism and military expenditures. Economic growth slowed or stagnated after extraordinary growth through 1992. Military downsizing coincided with Japanese recession and then the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990's. Visitor arrivals continued to increase to a peak of 1,380,000 in 1997, but declined in 1998 and increased only slightly in 1999. Hotel construction has continued throughout the 1990's resulting in reduced occupancy rates and hotel revenues, but placing the tourist industry in a good position to benefit from increased Asian travel next decade. There are currently more than 9,000 hotel rooms, with more under construction.

In mid-1999, the total labor force was 72,700, with 61,850 employed, for an unemployment rate of 15.2 percent, an increase from 9.2 percent in 1997. The public sector employs 18,230 and the private sector employs 43,620.

The Guam Government reported FY99 General Fund revenues of $470 million, a decrease from 1998 and previous years. Expenditures of $506 million resulted in an operating deficit of $36 million.

Communications
RCA Global Communications and IT&E handle cablegrams, facsimile messages, overseas telephone calls, and telex. The U.S. Postal Service handles mail delivery. Commercial mail delivery also is available through Federal Express, TNT and DHL.

Guam has one daily newspaper, a newspaper published three times a week, several weekly and monthly commercial publications, and military journals. There are three AM and two FM radio stations, one broadcast commercial television station, one commercial cable television station, and one public broadcasting station. Guam is a major Pacific cable station. A new fiber optic cable now links the island with Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. Guam is included in the domestic numbering system, with an area code of 671.

Transportation
The A.B. Won Pat International Airport serves six air carriers, providing more than one hundred flights a week to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland, East Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand. A new expansion of the airport was completed in 1996, permitting Continental Airlines to increase its hub operations.

Guam serves as a transshipment hub for the region, with three U.S. commercial shipping lines and several foreign shippers providing regularly scheduled service. The Guam Commercial Port can handle containerized as well as break bulk cargo at its modern terminal.

Education
Guam has an extensive public and private education system. The public education system includes the University of Guam, a land grant college; the Guam Community College; five public high schools; six middle schools; and 24 elementary schools. The private system includes two business colleges, five high schools and several elementary schools. Most of these are affiliated with Roman Catholic and Protestant religious denominations.

The University of Guam has master degree programs in education and public administration; operates a marine research laboratory; and has an extensive collection of Pacific and Micronesian historical documents and material at the Micronesian Area Research Center. The University of Guam is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Health Services
The Guam Memorial Hospital, with 192 beds, including 159 acute care beds, is government-owned and the major health facility in Guam and Micronesia. The U.S. Naval Hospital serves military personnel and dependents as well as veterans. Guam's Department of Public Health operates about a dozen medical and dental clinics.

Land Ownership
There are three categories of land-use ownership: private, Government of Guam, and the U.S. Government. The Federal Government holds about 30 percent of the total land area; the Government of Guam approximately 25 percent; and the remaining 45 percent is privately owned. Private land ownership on Guam is not restricted on the basis of nationality or residency and title can be held in fee simple. Some Federal military land has recently been turned back for the Government of Guam determination as to future use.

Travel Requirements
Because it is a U.S. territory, there are no restrictions for U.S. citizens traveling to and from Guam. The traveler must, however, carry proof of U.S. citizenship. A certified birth certificate will suffice. Non-U.S. citizens must have valid passports issued by their respective governments and appropriate visas issued by a U.S. embassy or consulate.

Pet Quarantine
Strict quarantine regulations govern the importation of live animals. All animals must be kept in quarantine for 120 days, except those from Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand. Pets must have entry permits, and within 14 days of arrival a veterinarian must certify the animal to be disease-free and to have had rabies and distemper shots.

Weather Conditions
Guam's tropical climate has temperatures ranging between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, with an annual mean temperature of 81 degrees. May and June are the hottest months. The yearly precipitation averages 90 inches with most rainfall occurring from July through October. Guam periodically experiences tropical storms and typhoons.

Currency
The U.S. dollar is the currency used in Guam.

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