Guam#Education

{{main|History of Guam}}

{{Main|Mariana Islands#Prehistory}}

File:Chronological dispersal of Austronesian people across the Pacific.svg Austronesian migrations into the islands of the Indo-Pacific|368x368px]]

Guam, along with the other Mariana Islands, were the first islands settled by humans in Remote Oceania. It was also the first and the longest of the ocean-crossing voyages of the Austronesian peoples, and is separate from the later Polynesian settlement of the rest of Remote Oceania. They were first settled around 1500 to 1400 BC, by migrants departing from the Philippines which was followed by a second migration from the Caroline Islands in the first millennium AD. A third migration wave took place from Island Southeast Asia, likely the Philippines or eastern Indonesia, by 900 AD.{{cite journal |last1=Hung |first1=Hsiao-chun |last2=Carson |first2=Mike T. |last3=Bellwood |first3=Peter |last4=Campos |first4=Fredeliza Z. |last5=Piper |first5=Philip J. |last6=Dizon |first6=Eusebio |last7=Bolunia |first7=Mary Jane Louise A. |last8=Oxenham |first8=Marc |last9=Chi |first9=Zhang |title=The first settlement of Remote Oceania: the Philippines to the Marianas |journal=Antiquity |date=2015 |volume=85 |issue=329 |pages=909–926 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00068393|doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Zotomayor |first1=Alexie Villegas |title=Archaeologists say migration to Marianas longest ocean-crossing in human history |journal=Marianas Variety News and Views |date=March 12, 2013 |page=2 |url=https://issuu.com/aleksea/docs/mv_3-12-13/2 |access-date=October 25, 2020 |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021085833/https://issuu.com/aleksea/docs/mv_3-12-13/2 |url-status=live }}

These original settlers of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands evolved into the Chamorro people, historically known as Chamorros after first contact with the Spaniards.{{cite book|last1=Carano|first1=Paul|last2=Sanchez|first2=Pedro C.|year=1964|title=A Complete History of Guam|location=Tokyo|publisher=Charles E. Tuttle Company|oclc=414965}}{{rp|16}} The ancient Chamorro society had four classes: {{transliteration|ch|chamorri}} (chiefs), {{transliteration|ch|matua}} (upper class), {{transliteration|ch|achaot}} (middle class), and {{transliteration|ch|mana'chang}} (lower class).{{rp|20–21}} The {{transliteration|ch|matua}} were located in the coastal villages, which meant they had the best access to fishing grounds. The {{transliteration|ch|mana'chang}} were located in the island's interior. {{transliteration|ch|Matua}} and {{transliteration|ch|mana'chang}} rarely communicated with each other. The {{transliteration|ch|matua}} often used {{transliteration|ch|achaot}} as intermediaries.{{rp|21}}

There were also "{{transliteration|ch|makåhna}}" or "{{transliteration|ch|kakahna}}", shamans with magical powers and "'{{transliteration|ch|suruhånu}}" or "{{transliteration|ch|suruhåna}}", healers who used different kinds of plants and natural materials to make medicine. Belief in spirits of ancient Chamorros called "{{transliteration|ch|Taotao mo'na}}" still persists as a remnant of pre-European culture. It is believed that "{{transliteration|ch|suruhånu}}" or "{{transliteration|ch|suruhåna}}" are the only ones who can safely harvest plants and other natural materials from their homes or "{{transliteration|ch|hålomtåno}}" without incurring the wrath of the "{{transliteration|ch|Taotao mo'na}}." Their society was organized along matrilineal clans.{{rp|21}}

The Chamorro people raised colonnades of megalithic capped pillars called {{transliteration|ch|latte stones}} upon which they built their homes. Latte stones are stone pillars that are found only in the Mariana Islands. They are a recent development in Pre-Contact Chamorro society. The latte-stone was used as a foundation on which thatched huts were built.{{rp|26}} Latte stones consist of a base shaped from limestone called the {{transliteration|ch|haligi}} and with a capstone, or {{transliteration|ch|tåsa}}, made either from a large brain coral or limestone, placed on top.{{rp|27–28}} A possible source for these stones, the Rota Latte Stone Quarry, was discovered in 1925 on Rota.{{rp|28}}

{{further|Spanish–Chamorro Wars}}

File:Reception of the Manila Galleon by the Chamorro in the Ladrones Islands, ca. 1590.jpg by the Chamorro in the Ladrones Islands, {{circa|1590}} Boxer Codex]]

The first European to travel to Guam was Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for the King of Spain, when he sighted the island on March 6, 1521, during his fleet's circumnavigation of the globe.{{rp|41–42}} Despite Magellan's visit, Guam was not officially claimed by Spain until January 26, 1565, by Miguel López de Legazpi.{{rp|46}} From 1565 to 1815, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, the only Spanish outposts in the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines, were reprovisioning stops for the Manila galleons, a fleet that covered the Pacific trade route between Acapulco and Manila.{{rp|51}}

Spanish colonization commenced on June 15, 1668, with the arrival of a mission led by Diego Luis de San Vitores, who established the first Catholic church.{{rp|64}} The islands were part of the Spanish East Indies, and part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico City.{{rp|68}} The Spanish-Chamorro Wars on Guam began in 1670 over growing tensions with the Jesuit mission, with the last large-scale uprising in 1683.{{rp|86}}

Intermittent warfare, plus the typhoons of 1671 and 1693, and in particular the smallpox epidemic of 1688, reduced the Chamorro population from 50,000 to 10,000, and finally to less than 5,000.{{rp|86}} Up until the late 19th century, Guam was encountered by adventurers and pirates, including Thomas Cavendish, Olivier van Noort, John Eaton, William Dampier, Woodes Rogers, John Clipperton, George Shelvocke and William "Bully" Hayes.

The island became a rest stop for whalers starting in 1823.{{rp|145}} A devastating typhoon struck the island on August 10, 1848, followed by a severe earthquake on January 25, 1849, which resulted in many refugees from the Caroline Islands, victims of a resultant tsunami.{{rp|151}} This earthquake was much more powerful than the 8.2 one that occurred on August 8, 1993.{{Cite book |last1=Driver |first1=Marjorie |title=Carolinians in the Mariana Islands in the 1800s: selected documents from the holdings of the Spanish Documents Collection at the Micronesian Area Research Center: English-Spanish Edition (English-Spanish ed.) |last2=Brunal-Perry |first2=Omaira |date=November 19, 1996 |isbn=1878453211 |pages=12|publisher=Division of Historic Preservation, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands }} After a smallpox epidemic killed 3,644 Guamanians in 1856, Carolinians and Japanese were permitted to settle in the Marianas.{{rp|157}}

{{further|Capture of Guam}}

File: Main street of Agana or Hagåtña, Guam (1899-1900).jpg {{circa|1899}}–1900.]]

After almost four centuries as part of the Kingdom of Spain, the United States occupied the island following Spain's defeat in the 1898 Spanish–American War, as part of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. Guam was transferred to the United States Navy control on December 23, 1898, by Executive Order 108-A from 25th President William McKinley.Rottman, G. (2004) Guam 1941 & 1944: Loss and Reconquest. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, ISBN

The U.S. Navy assumed administrative control, with Captain Richard P. Leary appointed as the first naval governor in 1899. This era marked the introduction of American governance structures and cultural influences to the island.{{Cite web |title=Richard P. Leary (DD-684) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/richard-p-leary.html |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=public1.nhhcaws.local |language=en-US}}

The naval administration prioritized the development of Guam's infrastructure to support its strategic military position in the Pacific. One notable project was the establishment of a coaling station to service naval vessels traveling between Hawaii and the Philippines. Additionally, efforts were made to improve the island's roads, sanitation systems, and public health facilities. Educational reforms were also introduced, including the establishment of public schools with English as the medium of instruction, aiming to assimilate the local Chamorro population into American culture.{{Cite web |title=War in the Pacific NHP: Administrative History (Chapter 3) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/wapa/adhi/adhi3.htm |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.nps.gov}}

Despite these developments, the Chamorro people faced significant challenges under the naval administration. Civil liberties were limited, and the local population had minimal input in governmental decisions. Recognizing these constraints, Chamorro leaders petitioned for U.S. citizenship and greater political autonomy as early as 1901, though these efforts were largely unsuccessful during this period.

These advocacy efforts continued over the years, with Chamorro representatives seeking citizenship and self-governance. For instance, in 1936, delegates Baltazar J. Bordallo and Francisco B. Leon Guerrero traveled to Washington, D.C., to personally petition for Chamorro citizenship. Despite these persistent efforts, substantial political reforms were not achieved during this period.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Smithsonian |last2=Herman |first2=Doug |title=A Brief, 500-Year History of Guam |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/brief-500-year-history-guam-180964508/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}

On December 10, 1914, the SMS Cormoran, a German armed merchant raider, was forced to seek port at Apra Harbor on the U.S. territory of Guam after running short on coal as a result of being pursued by the Japanese.{{Cite web |last=PacificWrecks.com |title=Pacific Wrecks |url=https://pacificwrecks.com/ship/german/sms_cormoran.html |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=pacificwrecks.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=SMS Cormoran II |url=https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/sv-guam/image/upload/v1/cms_resources/clients/guam/PR_3_The_History_of_the_SMS_Cormoran_II_1cb45612-4b62-42b5-b14a-045f4578fcff.pdf}}{{Cite web |date=2019-07-19 |title=Where the United States Entered World War I: The SMS Cormoran - NAUI Worldwide |url=https://www.naui.org/where-the-united-states-entered-world-war-i-the-sms-cormoran/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.naui.org |language=en-US}} The United States, which was neutral at the time refused to supply provisions sufficient for the Cormoran to make a German port so the ship and her crew were interned until 1917.{{Cite web |date=1931-08-01 |title=Destruction of S.M.S. "Cormoran" |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1931/august/destruction-sms-cormoran |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=U.S. Naval Institute |language=en}}

On the morning of April 7, 1917, word reached Guam by telegraph cable that the U.S. Congress had declared war on Germany. The Naval Governor of Guam, Roy Campbell Smith, sent two officers to inform the Cormoran that a state of war existed between the two countries, that the crew were now prisoners of war, and that the ship must be surrendered. Meanwhile, the USS Supply blocked the entrance to Apra Harbor to prevent any attempt to flee. In a separate boat, the two officers were accompanied by a barge commanded by Lt. W.A. Hall, who was designated prize master, and had brought 18 sailors and 15 Marines from the barracks at Sumay.{{cite web |last1=Conrad |first1=Dennis |date=March 28, 2017 |title=The War Begins: The United States Navy and the German Cruiser Cormoran |url=https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/03/28/the-war-begins-the-united-states-navy-and-the-german-cruiser-cormoran/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319064717/https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/03/28/the-war-begins-the-united-states-navy-and-the-german-cruiser-cormoran/ |archive-date=March 19, 2021 |access-date=March 6, 2021 |website=The Sextant |publisher=Histories and Archives Division, Naval History and Heritage Command}}{{cite web |last1=Hoppe |first1=Jon |date=October 1, 2015 |title=The Destruction of the S.M.S. Cormoran and the First U.S. Shot Fired in World War I |url=https://www.navalhistory.org/2015/10/01/the-destruction-of-the-s-m-s-cormoran |access-date=March 6, 2021 |website=Naval History Blog |publisher=U.S. Naval Institute |archive-date=September 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930030833/https://www.navalhistory.org/2015/10/01/the-destruction-of-the-s-m-s-cormoran |url-status=live }}

Seeing a launch from Cormoran hauling a barge of supplies back shore, Hall ordered shots fired across the bow of the launch until it hove to. Meanwhile, the two officers reached Cormoran and informed Captain Adalbert Zuckschwerdt of the situation. Zuckschwerdt agreed to surrender his crew but refused to turn over the ship. The U.S. officers informed Zuckschwerdt that the Cormoran would be treated as an enemy combatant and left to inform Governor Smith of the situation. Unbeknownst to the Americans, the Germans had secreted an explosive device in the ship's coal bunker. Minutes after the Americans left, an explosion aboard Cormoran hurled debris across the harbor and her crew began abandoning ship. The two American boats and USS Supply immediately began to recover German sailors from the water, saving all but seven of the roughly 370 Cormoran crew. This incident, including the warning shots against the launch, accounted for the first violent action of the United States in World War I, first shots fired by the U.S. against Germany in World War I, the first German prisoners of war captured by the U.S., and the first Germans killed in action by the U.S. in World War I.{{cite book |author=Robert F. Rogers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AEn9J3tXFS8C&pg=PA139 |title=Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam |date=January 1995 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=978-0-8248-1678-0 |pages=139–}}{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Tyler |date=October 17, 2020 |title=A Rock Springs man fired the first American shot of World War I |url=https://wyo4news.com/news/a-rock-springs-man-fired-the-first-american-shot-of-world-war-i/ |access-date=March 6, 2021 |website=Wyo4News |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406004056/https://wyo4news.com/news/a-rock-springs-man-fired-the-first-american-shot-of-world-war-i/ |url-status=live }}

File:3rd Battalion 3rd Marines Agana.jpg walk through the ruins of Hagåtña, July 1944.]]

During World War II, the Empire of Japan invaded and occupied Guam in the 1941 Battle of Guam on December 8, at the same time as the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese renamed Guam {{lang|ja-Latn|Ōmiya-jima}} (Great Shrine Island). The Japanese occupation of Guam lasted about 31 months. During this period, the indigenous people of Guam were subjected to beatings, forced labor, family separation, concentration camps, massacres, beheadings and rape.[http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/197751 War Restitution Act : hearing before the Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs of the Co...|National Library of Australia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406001230/http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/197751|date=April 6, 2010}}. Catalogue.nla.gov.au (September 20, 1994). Retrieved June 13, 2012."[http://www.doi.gov/oia/press/2004/72104guam_war_claims.cfm Statement of David B. Cohen Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs Before the House Committee on Resources Regarding the Report of the Guam War Claims Review Commission|July 21, 2004] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120023031/http://www.doi.gov/oia/press/2004/72104guam_war_claims.cfm|date=January 20, 2013}}." Office of Insular Affairs. Retrieved September 19, 2012.{{cite journal|last=Higuchi|first=Wakako|title=The Japanisation Policy for the Chamorros of Guam, 1941–1944|journal=The Journal of Pacific History|year=2001|url=http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/The_Japanisation_Policy_for_the_Chamorros_of_Guam,_1941-1944.pdf|doi=10.1080/00223340120049424|volume=36|issue=1|pages=19–35|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120021514/http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/The_Japanisation_Policy_for_the_Chamorros_of_Guam%2C_1941-1944.pdf|archive-date=January 20, 2013}}Werner Gruhl, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ow5Wlmu9MPQC&pg=PA102 Imperial Japan's World War Two, 1931–1945] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101014017/https://books.google.com/books?id=ow5Wlmu9MPQC&pg=PA102|date=January 1, 2016}}, Transaction Publishers, 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-7658-0352-8}}

During the nearly three years of occupation approximately 1,100 Chamorros were killed, according to later US Congressional committee testimony in 2004. Some historians estimate that war violence killed 10% of Guam's then 20,000 population. The United States returned and recaptured the island in the 1944 Battle of Guam from July 21 to August 10; July 21 became a territorial holiday, Liberation Day.

After World War II, the Guam Organic Act of 1950 established Guam as an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, provided for the structure of the island's civilian government, and granted the people U.S. citizenship. The Governor of Guam was federally appointed until 1968 when the Guam Elective Governor Act provided for the office's popular election.{{cite book|first=Robert F.|last=Rogers|title=Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam|year=1995|place=Honolulu|publisher=University of Hawaii Press}}{{rp|242}} Since Guam is not a U.S. state, U.S. citizens residing on Guam are not allowed to vote for president and their congressional representative is a non-voting member.

They do, however, vote for party delegates in presidential primaries.{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24839059|publisher=NBC News|title=Nominating, but not voting for president: Clinton-Obama struggle spotlights Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico|first1=Tom|last1=Curry|date=May 28, 2008|access-date=August 19, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815080233/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24839059/ns/politics-decision_08/t/nominating-not-voting-president|archive-date=August 15, 2016}} In 1969, a referendum on unification with the Northern Mariana Islands was held and rejected.[http://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=mp011969 Northern Mariana Islands, 9 November 1969: Status] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415165235/https://sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=mp011969 |date=April 15, 2021 }} Direct Democracy {{in lang|de}} During the 1970s, Maryly Van Leer Peck started an engineering program, expanded University of Guam, and founded Guam Community College.Rottman, G. (2004) Guam 1941 & 1944: Loss and Reconquest. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, {{ISBN|978-1-84176-811-3}}{{rp|17}} In the same period, Alby Mangels, Australian adventurer and filmmaker of World Safari visited Guam during his six-year escapade on the leg of his voyage through the Pacific aboard the Klaraborg.

The removal of Guam's security clearance by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 allowed for the development of a tourism industry. When the United States closed U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay and Clark Air Base bases in the Philippines after the expiration of their leases in the early 1990s, many of the forces stationed there were relocated to Guam.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

The 1997 Asian financial crisis, which hit Japan particularly hard, severely affected Guam's tourism industry. Military cutbacks in the 1990s also disrupted the island's economy. Economic recovery was further hampered by devastation from super typhoons Paka in 1997 and Pongsona in 2002, as well as the effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the crash of Korean Air Flight 801 on tourism.{{Cite book |last=Tourism |first=United States Congress Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce, and |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wflkLlQ3r1QC&dq=guam++effects+of+the+September+11+terrorist+attacks+on+tourism&pg=PA71 |title=Terrorism's Effect on U.S. Tourism: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce, and Tourism of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, October 12, 2001 |date=2004 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |isbn=978-0-16-071313-2 |language=en |access-date=December 17, 2022 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406194352/https://books.google.com/books?id=wflkLlQ3r1QC&dq=guam++effects+of+the+September+11+terrorist+attacks+on+tourism&pg=PA71 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Geography of Guam}}

{{see also|Geology of Guam}}

File:Guam ali 2011364 lrg.jpg's now decommissioned Earth observation satellite, Earth Observing-1 (EO-1), December 2011.]]

Guam is {{convert|30.17|mi|km|2|sigfig=4|abbr=off|sp=us}} long and {{convert|4|to|12|mi|km|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} wide. It has an area of {{convert|212|sqmi|km2|0|abbr=off|sp=us}}. It is the 32nd largest island of the United States. It is the southernmost and largest island in the Mariana Islands, as well as the largest in Micronesia.{{Cite web|title=Education Resources: Regional Information, Guam{{!}} PacIOOS|url=https://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/education/region-guam/|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)|language=en-US|archive-date=March 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301223100/http://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/education/region-guam/|url-status=live}} Guam's Point Udall is the westernmost point of the U.S., as measured from the geographic center of the United States.{{cite web |title=The Most Extreme Points of the United States |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-extreme-points-of-the-united-states.html |website=WorldAtlas |access-date=March 13, 2021 |date=May 28, 2018 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225054940/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-extreme-points-of-the-united-states.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Congressional Record - Proceedings and Debates of the 106th Congress, First Session - House of Representatives (Vol. 145, No. 34) |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-1999-03-04/pdf/CREC-1999-03-04-house.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508113549/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-1999-03-04/pdf/CREC-1999-03-04-house.pdf |archive-date=May 8, 2021 |url-status=live |website=govinfo.gov |access-date=March 13, 2021 |page=H982 |date=March 4, 1999}}

The Mariana chain, of which Guam is a part, was created by collision of the Pacific and Philippine Sea tectonic plates. Guam is located on the micro Mariana Plate between the two. Guam is the closest land mass to the Mariana Trench, the deep subduction zone that runs east of the Marianas. Volcanic eruptions established the base of the island in the Eocene, roughly 56 to 33.9 million years ago. The north of Guam is a result of this base being covered with layers of coral reef, turning into limestone, and then being thrust upward by tectonic activity to create a plateau.

The rugged south of the island is a result of more recent volcanic activity. Cocos Island off the southern tip of Guam is the largest of the many small islets along the coastline. Guam's highest point is Mount Lamlam at {{convert|1334|ft|m|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} above sea level."Geography of Guam". Official site of Guam, April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from {{cite web|url=http://ns.gov.gu/geography.html|title=Guam's Geography|access-date=May 2, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961027163532/http://ns.gov.gu/geography.html|archive-date=October 27, 1996}}. If its base is considered to be the nearby Challenger Deep, the deepest surveyed point in the Oceans, Mount Lamlam is the world's tallest mountain at {{convert|37820|feet|m}}.{{cite web |last1=McMahon |first1=Mary |title=How do Scientists Determine the World's Tallest Mountain? |url=https://www.infobloom.com/how-do-scientists-determine-the-worlds-tallest-mountain.htm |website=Info Bloom |access-date=March 13, 2021 |date=January 23, 2021 |archive-date=May 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520184712/https://www.infobloom.com/how-do-scientists-determine-the-worlds-tallest-mountain.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Fichtl |first1=Marcus |title=Guam's Mount Lamlam technically world's tallest mountain, though most of it is underwater |url=https://www.stripes.com/lifestyle/guam-s-mount-lamlam-technically-world-s-tallest-mountain-though-most-of-it-is-underwater-1.485437 |website=Stars and Stripes |access-date=March 13, 2021 |date=August 31, 2017 |archive-date=November 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118105200/https://www.stripes.com/lifestyle/guam-s-mount-lamlam-technically-world-s-tallest-mountain-though-most-of-it-is-underwater-1.485437 |url-status=live }}

Politically, Guam is divided into 19 villages. The majority of the population lives on the coralline limestone plateaus of the north, with political and economic activity concentrated in the central and northern regions. The rugged geography of the south largely limits settlement to rural coastal areas. The western coast is leeward of the trade winds and is the location of Apra Harbor, the capital Hagåtña, and the tourist center of Tumon. The U.S. Defense Department owns about 29% of the island,{{cite news|title=Guam: Small But Important Piece of US Territory in Pacific |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/guam-small-but-important-us-pacific-territory/3979325.html|publisher=Voice of America|language=en |date=August 9, 2017 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310070638/https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/guam-small-important-piece-us-territory-pacific |url-status=live}} under the management of Joint Region Marianas.

{{further|Climate change in Guam|List of typhoons in Guam}}

File:Ritidian Beach - Guam NWR.jpg beach at Ritidian Point]]

Guam has a tropical rainforest climate on the Köppen scale (Köppen Af). Its driest month of March almost qualifies as a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The weather is generally hot and humid throughout the year with little seasonal temperature variation. Guam is known to have equable temperatures year-round. Trade winds are fairly constant throughout the year. There is often a weak westerly monsoon influence in the summer months.

Guam has two distinct seasons: Wet and dry season. The dry season runs from January through May. June is the transitional period. The wet season runs from July through November. Guam's average annual rainfall was {{convert|98|in|mm|-1|disp=or|sp=us}} between 1981 and 2010.

The wettest month on record at Guam Airport has been August 1997 with {{convert|38.49|in|mm|1}}. The driest was February 2015 with {{convert|0.15|in|mm|1}}. The wettest calendar year was 1976 with {{convert|131.70|in|mm|1}}. The driest year was in 1998 with {{convert|57.88|in|mm|1}}. The most rainfall in a single day occurred on October 15, 1953, when {{convert|15.48|in|mm|1|disp=or|sp=us}} fell.

The mean high temperature is {{convert|86|°F|°C|disp=or}}. The mean low is {{convert|76|°F|°C|1}}. Temperatures rarely exceed {{convert|90|°F|°C|1}} or fall below {{convert|70|°F|°C|1}}. The relative humidity commonly exceeds 84 percent at night throughout the year, but the average monthly humidity hovers near 66 percent.{{cite web|url=http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/getclimate.php?date=&wfo=guam&sid=GUM&pil=CLM&recent=yes&specdate=2013-03-04+15%3A20%3A44|title=Climatological Report|publisher=National Weather Service|access-date=February 26, 2014|date=February 26, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307004247/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/getclimate.php?date=&wfo=guam&sid=GUM&pil=CLM&recent=yes&specdate=2013-03-04+15%3A20%3A44|archive-date=March 7, 2014}}

The highest temperature ever recorded in Guam was {{convert|96|F|C|1}} on April 18, 1971, and April 1, 1990. A record low of {{convert|69|F|C}} was set on February 1, 2021.{{cite web |last1=Lloyd |first1=Bruce |title=Guam sets a 71-year record for cold temperature on Saturday |url=https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2021/01/31/guam-weather-cold-temperature-record-saturday/4334204001/ |website=Pacific Daily News |access-date=March 18, 2021 |date=February 1, 2021}} The lowest recorded temperature was 65 °F (18.3 °C), set on February 8, 1973.

Guam lies in the path of typhoons{{cite web|title=National Weather Service Dedicated Forecast Office in Typhoon Alley|url=http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2000/apr00/noaa00r235.html|publisher=US NOAA NWS|access-date=August 19, 2012|date=April 27, 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107012415/http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2000/apr00/noaa00r235.html|archive-date=January 7, 2013}} and it is common for the island to be threatened by tropical storms and possible typhoons during the wet season. The highest risk of typhoons is from August through November, where typhoons and tropical storms are most probable in the western Pacific. They can, however, occur year-round. Typhoons that have caused major damage on Guam in the American period include the Typhoon of 1900, Karen (1962), Pamela (1976), Paka (1997), Pongsona (2002), and Mawar (2023).

Since Typhoon Pamela in 1976, wooden structures have been largely replaced by concrete structures.{{cite web|url=http://www.rms.com/Catastrophe/Models/Guam.asp|work=Risk Management Solutions|title=Guam Catastrophe Model|access-date=June 16, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207111227/http://www.rms.com/catastrophe/models/Guam.asp|archive-date=February 7, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pacificworlds.com/guam/land/winds.cfm|title=Winds|publisher=PacificWorlds.com|access-date=June 16, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827132157/http://www.pacificworlds.com/guam/land/winds.cfm|archive-date=August 27, 2007}} During the 1980s, wooden utility poles began to be replaced by typhoon-resistant concrete and steel poles. After the local Government enforced stricter construction codes, many home and business owners have built their structures out of reinforced concrete with installed typhoon shutters.

{{Weather box

|location = Guam International Airport (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1945–present)

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 94

|Feb record high F = 93

|Mar record high F = 93

|Apr record high F = 96

|May record high F = 94

|Jun record high F = 95

|Jul record high F = 95

|Aug record high F = 94

|Sep record high F = 94

|Oct record high F = 93

|Nov record high F = 92

|Dec record high F = 91

|year record high F = 96

|Jan avg record high F = 88.4

|Feb avg record high F = 88.5

|Mar avg record high F = 89.2

|Apr avg record high F = 90.2

|May avg record high F = 90.8

|Jun avg record high F = 91.1

|Jul avg record high F = 90.8

|Aug avg record high F = 90.6

|Sep avg record high F = 90.4

|Oct avg record high F = 90.4

|Nov avg record high F = 89.9

|Dec avg record high F = 88.8

|year avg record high F = 92.0

|Jan high F = 85.7

|Feb high F = 85.7

|Mar high F = 86.7

|Apr high F = 87.9

|May high F = 88.5

|Jun high F = 88.5

|Jul high F = 87.7

|Aug high F = 87.0

|Sep high F = 87.0

|Oct high F = 87.2

|Nov high F = 87.4

|Dec high F = 86.6

|year high F = 87.2

|Jan mean F = 80.3

|Feb mean F = 80.1

|Mar mean F = 81.0

|Apr mean F = 82.3

|May mean F = 83.0

|Jun mean F = 83.1

|Jul mean F = 82.2

|Aug mean F = 81.5

|Sep mean F = 81.5

|Oct mean F = 81.7

|Nov mean F = 82.2

|Dec mean F = 81.6

|year mean F = 81.7

|Jan low F = 75.0

|Feb low F = 74.6

|Mar low F = 75.4

|Apr low F = 76.7

|May low F = 77.5

|Jun low F = 77.7

|Jul low F = 76.8

|Aug low F = 76.1

|Sep low F = 76.0

|Oct low F = 76.3

|Nov low F = 77.0

|Dec low F = 76.5

|year low F = 76.3

|Jan avg record low F = 71.6

|Feb avg record low F = 71.4

|Mar avg record low F = 71.9

|Apr avg record low F = 73.3

|May avg record low F = 74.1

|Jun avg record low F = 74.6

|Jul avg record low F = 73.8

|Aug avg record low F = 73.4

|Sep avg record low F = 73.3

|Oct avg record low F = 73.4

|Nov avg record low F = 73.9

|Dec avg record low F = 73.3

|year avg record low F = 70.2

|Jan record low F = 66

|Feb record low F = 65

|Mar record low F = 66

|Apr record low F = 68

|May record low F = 70

|Jun record low F = 70

|Jul record low F = 70

|Aug record low F = 70

|Sep record low F = 70

|Oct record low F = 67

|Nov record low F = 68

|Dec record low F = 68

|year record low F = 65

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 5.34

|Feb precipitation inch = 4.15

|Mar precipitation inch = 2.77

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.50

|May precipitation inch = 4.45

|Jun precipitation inch = 6.51

|Jul precipitation inch = 12.25

|Aug precipitation inch = 17.66

|Sep precipitation inch = 15.17

|Oct precipitation inch = 12.73

|Nov precipitation inch = 8.29

|Dec precipitation inch = 5.30

|year precipitation inch = 98.12

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 20.1

|Feb precipitation days = 18.0

|Mar precipitation days = 18.3

|Apr precipitation days = 18.9

|May precipitation days = 19.7

|Jun precipitation days = 23.2

|Jul precipitation days = 26.0

|Aug precipitation days = 25.9

|Sep precipitation days = 25.1

|Oct precipitation days = 25.4

|Nov precipitation days = 23.9

|Dec precipitation days = 22.7

|year precipitation days = 267.2

|Jan humidity = 83.7

|Feb humidity = 81.9

|Mar humidity = 83.1

|Apr humidity = 82.0

|May humidity = 82.7

|Jun humidity = 82.7

|Jul humidity = 87.3

|Aug humidity = 88.7

|Sep humidity = 88.8

|Oct humidity = 88.3

|Nov humidity = 86.6

|Dec humidity = 83.0

|year humidity = 84.9

|Jan sun = 176.0

|Feb sun = 173.7

|Mar sun = 216.4

|Apr sun = 214.0

|May sun = 219.9

|Jun sun = 193.8

|Jul sun = 156.1

|Aug sun = 142.2

|Sep sun = 132.7

|Oct sun = 132.6

|Nov sun = 135.0

|Dec sun = 143.4

|year sun = 2035.8

|Jan percentsun = 50

|Feb percentsun = 53

|Mar percentsun = 58

|Apr percentsun = 57

|May percentsun = 56

|Jun percentsun = 50

|Jul percentsun = 39

|Aug percentsun = 37

|Sep percentsun = 36

|Oct percentsun = 36

|Nov percentsun = 39

|Dec percentsun = 41

|year percentsun = 46

|source 1 = NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990){{cite web

| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=gum

| title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = September 11, 2021

| archive-date = September 6, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210906150411/https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=gum

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=GQW00041415&format=pdf

| title = Station: Guam INTL AP, GU GQ

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = September 11, 2021

| archive-date = September 11, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210911151301/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=GQW00041415&format=pdf

| url-status = live

}}

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210911151125/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/TABLES/REG__V/U1/91217.TXT

| archive-date = September 11, 2021

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/TABLES/REG__V/U1/91217.TXT

| title = WMO Climate Normals for Guam/Marshall Islands, PI 1961–1990

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = September 11, 2021}}

}}

{{main|Marianas tropical dry forests}}

{{further|List of endemic plants in the Mariana Islands|List of threatened, endangered and extinct species in the Mariana Islands|Invasive species in Guam|Climate change in Guam|Guam National Wildlife Refuge}}

File:Ficus prolixa interwoven canopy. 1000 Steps hiking trail, Pagat, Guam.jpg

Guam is home to a diverse array of ecosystems,{{Cite web |title=Natural Environment - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/category/natural-environment/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com}}{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Shannon |date=2011-02-13 |title=Ancient Guam's Environment - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/ancient-guams-environment/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}} including coral reefs,{{Cite web |last=Pereda |first=Nathalie |date=2019-10-10 |title=Coral Reefs: Essential Ecosystems on Guam - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/coral-reefs-essential-ecosystems-on-guam/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}} deep seas, sea grasses,{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Shannon |date=2009-10-01 |title=Seagrasses Overview - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/seagrasses-overview/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}} beach strand, mangroves,{{Cite web |last=Pereda |first=Nathalie |date=2017-08-04 |title=Mangroves: The Forest Between Land and Sea - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/mangroves-the-forest-between-land-and-sea/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}} a variety of different limestone forest types,{{Cite web |last=Pereda |first=Nathalie |date=2019-10-02 |title=Limestone Forests of Guam - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/limestone-forests-of-guam/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite journal |last=Fosberg |first=F. Raymond |date=1960 |title=The Vegetation of Micronesia. 1, General descriptions, the vegetation of the Marianas Islands, and a detailed consideration of the vegetation of Guam |url=https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/items/b7a6abd7-e958-47d7-98aa-89efd6c2da30 |journal=Bulletin of the AMNH |volume=119 |issue=1 |via=American Museum of Natural History}} volcanic forests and grasslands,{{Cite web |last=Pereda |first=Nathalie |date=2017-08-04 |title=Badlands in Southern Guam - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/badlands-in-southern-guam/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}} riparian systems, and caves.{{Cite web |last=Pereda |first=Nathalie |date=2019-10-02 |title=Guam's Amazing Caves - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/guams-amazing-caves/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}} There are approximately 17 species of plant that are endemic only to the island of Guam, and many more that are endemic to the Mariana Islands. Numerous endemic insects have been described.{{Cite book |url=http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/pdf/bull172.pdf |title=Insects of Guam-I, Bulletin 172 |date=1942 |publisher=Bernice P. Bishop Museum}}{{Cite book |url=http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/pdf/bull189.pdf |title=Insects of Guam-II, Bulletin 189 |date=1946 |publisher=Bernice P. Bishop Museum}}{{Cite web |title=Insects of Micronesia |url=http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/iom.html |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=hbs.bishopmuseum.org}} There are approximately 29 land snails listed as endemic to the island of Guam, although many are now endangered or presumed extinct.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Shannon |date=2013-04-23 |title=Land Snails (Akaleha') of the Mariana Islands - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/land-snails-akaleha-of-the-mariana-islands/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite book |last1=Kerr |first1=Alexander M. |url=https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/148Kerr_and_Bauman_2013_UOGMLTechReport148.pdf |title=Annotated Checklist of the Land snails of the Mariana Islands, Micronesia |last2=Bauman |first2=Scott |date=2013 |publisher=University of Guam (UOG)}} Guam once hosted 14 kinds of terrestrial birds, 7 of which were endemic to Guam on the species or subspecies level, although all but one of the 14 are now extinct, extirpated, or endangered.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Shannon |date=2009-09-30 |title=Native Forest Birds of Guam - Guampedia |url=https://www.guampedia.com/a-native-forest-birds-of-guam/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.guampedia.com |language=en-US}} Three locations on Guam (Guam National Wildlife Refuge, Cocos Island, and Mahlac Caves) have been identified as Important Bird Areas (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of Micronesian starlings, Mariana swiftlets, Mariana crows, and Guam rails. The Guam rail became the second bird species to ever be downlisted from Extinct in the wild after a population was established on Cocos Island.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-10 |title=Species recoveries bring hope amidst the biodiversity crisis - IUCN Red List {{!}} IUCN |url=https://iucn.org/news/species/201912/species-recoveries-bring-hope-amidst-biodiversity-crisis-iucn-red-list |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=iucn.org |language=en}} Guam was home to three native bat species: the little Mariana fruit bat (Pteropus tokudae), now extinct; the endangered Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata rotensis); and the endangered Mariana fruit bat (Pteropus mariannus mariannus).

File:20140402-APHIS-UNK-0004 (13592983734).jpg nearly eradicated the native bird population.]]

Guam has experienced severe effects of invasive species upon the natural biodiversity of the island. These include the local extinction of endemic bird species after the introduction of the brown tree snake, an infestation of the coconut rhinoceros beetle destroying coconut palms, and the effect of introduced feral mammals and amphibians.

Wildfires plague the forested areas of Guam every dry season despite the island's humid climate. Most fires are caused by humans with 80% resulting from arson.{{cite web|url=http://www.guamforestry.org/docs/final_guam_2004.pdf|title=Territory of Guam Fire Assessment January 2004|access-date=March 24, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324224423/http://www.guamforestry.org/docs/final_guam_2004.pdf|archive-date=March 24, 2009}}, pp. 6–7, guamforestry.org 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/Park/Natural/fire/fireguam.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213232039/http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/Park/Natural/fire/fireguam.htm|archive-date=December 13, 2007|work=United States Department of the Interior|author=National Park Service|title=Fire and Guam|access-date=June 16, 2007|author-link=National Park Service}}

During the rainy season, sediment is carried by the heavy rains into the Fena Lake Reservoir 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 (planting trees) have had little success in preserving natural habitats.File:Fish and coral in Tumon Bay Marine Preserve, Guam.jpg, Tumon Bay is now a marine preserve.]]

Efforts have been made to protect Guam's coral reef habitats from pollution, eroded silt and overfishing, problems that have led to decreased fish populations. This has both ecological and economic value, as Guam is a significant vacation spot for scuba divers, and one study found that Guam's reefs are worth US$127 million per year.{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Val |title=Guam's Reefs are Important to Guam's Culture and Economy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/646794275 |access-date=October 1, 2021 |work=Pacific Daily News |date=May 30, 2008 |location=Agana Heights, Guam |page=5 |quote=The results indicated that Guam's reefs are worth $127 million per year |archive-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001213252/http://www.newspapers.com/image/646794275/ |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.guampdn.com/guampublishing/special-sections/mlsea/8-future.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103031256/http://www.guampdn.com/guampublishing/special-sections/mlsea/8-future.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 3, 2013 |work=Pacific Daily News |title=Guam's Marine Preserves |last=Brown |first=Valerie |date=2006}} These are located at Pati Point, Piti Bomb Holes, Sasa Bay, Achang Reef Flat, and Tumon Bay.{{cite web |title=Sea Life |url=https://www.visitguam.com/chamorro-culture/nature/sea-life/ |website=Guam Visitors Bureau |access-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531225300/https://www.visitguam.com/chamorro-culture/nature/sea-life/ |url-status=live }}

Before adopting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, portions of Tumon Bay were dredged by the hotel chains to provide a better experience for hotel guests.{{cite web|url=http://www.guamepa.govguam.net/programs/epr/sediment_report.pdf|work=EPA Guam Report|title=Management of Contaminated Harbor Sediments in Guam|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808031615/http://www.guamepa.govguam.net/programs/epr/sediment_report.pdf|archive-date=August 8, 2007}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pcrguam.com/press_releases/Tumon_Bay.htm|work=Directions Magazine; June/July 1996|title=Tumon Bay – Engineering a Better Environment|author=Packbier, Paul E.R.|access-date=October 19, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726141402/http://www.pcrguam.com/press_releases/Tumon_Bay.htm|archive-date=July 26, 2011}} Tumon Bay has since been made into a preserve. 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.{{cite journal|last=Holmes III|first=Rolston|title=Environmental Ethics in Micronesia, Past and Present, Part II—Guam Today: Still "on the Edge." Colonial Legacy and American Presence|journal=International Society for Environmental Ethics Newsletter|volume=12|issue=3|year=2001|url=http://www.cep.unt.edu/ISEE/n12-3-01.htm|access-date=June 16, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609092403/http://www.cep.unt.edu/ISEE/n12-3-01.htm|archive-date=June 9, 2007|url-status=live}}

Harvest of sea turtle eggs was a common occurrence on Guam before World War II. The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was harvested legally on Guam before August 1978, when it was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) has been on the endangered list since 1970. In an effort to ensure the protection of sea turtles on Guam, routine sightings are counted during aerial surveys and nest sites are recorded and monitored for hatchlings.

{{US Census population

|1910=11806

|1920=13275

|1930=18509

|1940=22290

|1950=59498

|1960=67044

|1970=84996

|1980=105979

|1990=133152

|2000=154805

|2010=159358

|2020=168485}}

{{Main|Demographics of Guam}}

In the 2020 United States census, the largest ethnic group were the native Chamorros, accounting for 32.8% of the population. Asians, including Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese, accounted for 35.5% of the population. Other ethnic groups of Micronesia, including those of Chuukese, Palauan, and Pohnpeians, accounted for 13.2%. 10% of the population were multiracial, (two or more races). European Americans made up 6.8% of the population; 1% are African Americans, and 3% are Hispanic; there are 1,740 Mexicans in Guam, and there are other Hispanic ethnicities on the island. The estimated interracial marriage rate is over 40%.

The official languages of the island are English and Chamorro. Unlike most of its neighboring languages, Chamorro is not classified as Micronesian or Polynesian. Rather, like Palauan, it possibly constitutes an independent branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. Filipino is also commonly spoken across the island. Other Pacific and Asian languages are spoken in Guam as well. Spanish, which was the language of administration for 300 years, is no longer widely spoken, but has had a deep influence on the Chamorro language.{{cite web|url=https://www.dewittguam.com/what-languages-are-spoken-guam/|title=What Languages Are Spoken on Guam?|website=DeWitt Guam|date=November 2021|access-date=December 24, 2022|archive-date=December 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224010952/https://www.dewittguam.com/what-languages-are-spoken-guam/|url-status=live}}

{{anchor|Religion}}The predominant religion of Guam is Christianity. Three-quarters of the population adheres to Catholicism, while most of the remainder belong to Protestant churches. According to the Pew Research Center, the religious demography of Guam in 2010 was as follows:{{cite web |title=Guam - Religious Demography: Affiliation |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/guam#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701045401/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/guam#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |archive-date=July 1, 2020 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |website=Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Catholicism: 75%
• Protestantism: 17.7%
• Other religions: 1.6%
• Folk religions: 1.5%
• Other Christianity: 1.4%
• Buddhism: 1.1%
• Eastern Orthodoxy: <1%
• Hinduism: <1%
• Islam: <1%
• Judaism: <1%

{{div end}}

In 2020, the Vatican claimed that 87.72% of the population was Catholic, with 54 priests and 64 nuns across 27 parishes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/guam|title=Guam | Catholics & Cultures|website=www.catholicsandcultures.org}}

File:Another GUAM sign in front the Guam Museum (49332191732).jpg in Hagåtña opened in 2016]]

{{main|Culture of Guam}}

{{further|Chamorro people|Music of Guam}}

The culture of Guam is a reflection of traditional Chamorro customs, in combination with American, Spanish and Mexican traditions.{{sfn|Wuerch|Ballendorf|1994|p=44}} Post-European-contact Chamorro Guamanian culture is a combination of American, Spanish, Filipino, other Micronesian Islander and Mexican traditions. Few indigenous pre-Hispanic customs remained following Spanish contact, but include plaiting and pottery. There has been a resurgence of interest among the Chamorro to preserve the language and culture.{{Cite journal |last1=Montón-Subías |first1=Sandra |last2=Hernando Gonzalo |first2=Almudena |date=August 28, 2021 |title=Modern Colonialism and Cultural Continuity Through Material Culture: An Example from Guam and CHamoru Plaiting |journal=International Journal of Historical Archaeology |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=823–847 |language=en |doi=10.1007/s10761-021-00626-3 |s2cid=239658158 |issn=1573-7748|doi-access=free |hdl=10230/53171 |hdl-access=free }}{{Cite web |title=» Voices of Our Elders |url=https://www.guampedia.com/voices-of-our-elders/ |access-date=April 26, 2022 |website=www.guampedia.com |date=November 4, 2015 |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421141653/https://www.guampedia.com/voices-of-our-elders/ |url-status=live }}

Hispanic influences are manifested in the local language, music, dance, sea navigation, cuisine, fishing, games (such as {{transliteration|ch|batu}}, {{transliteration|ch|chonka}}, {{transliteration|ch|estuleks}}, and {{transliteration|ch|bayogu}}), songs, and fashion. The island's original community are Chamorro natives, who have inhabited Guam for almost 4000 years.{{sfn|Cunningham|Beaty|2001|p=5-6}} They had their own language related to the languages of Indonesia and southeast Asia. The Spanish later called them Chamorros. A derivative of the word, Chamorri, means "noble race". They began to grow rice on the island.{{sfn|Cunningham|Beaty|2001|p=5}}

File:Inetnon Gef Pa'go at Micronesia Mall(6780478821) (cropped).jpg, 2012]]

Historically, the native people of Guam venerated the bones of their ancestors. They kept the skulls in their houses in small baskets, and practiced incantations before them when it was desired to attain certain objects.{{sfn|Safford|1912|p=11}} During Spanish rule (1668–1898) the majority of the population was converted to Catholicism and religious festivities such as Easter and Christmas became widespread. Many Chamorros have Spanish surnames, although few of the inhabitants are themselves descended from the Spaniards. Instead, Spanish names and surnames became commonplace after their conversion to Catholicism and the imposition of the Catálogo alfabético de apellidos in Guam.{{cite book |last=Boquet |first=Yves |date=2017 |title=The Philippine Archipelago |series=Springer Geography |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-51926-5 |location= |publisher=Springer |page=75 |isbn=978-3-319-51926-5 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-51926-5 |s2cid=132890899 |access-date=November 19, 2022 |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107070418/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-51926-5 |url-status=live }}

Historically, the diet of the native inhabitants of Guam consisted of fish, fowl, rice, breadfruit, taro, yams, bananas, and coconuts used in a variety of dishes.{{sfn|Safford|1912|pp=13–14}} Post-contact Chamorro cuisine is largely based on corn, and includes tortillas, tamales, atole, and chilaquiles, which are a clear influence from Mesoamerica, principally Mexico, from Spanish trade with Asia.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Due to foreign cultural influence from Spain, most aspects of the early indigenous culture have been lost, though there has been a resurgence in preserving any remaining pre-Hispanic culture in the last few decades. Some scholars have traveled throughout the Pacific Islands, conducting research to study what the original Chamorro cultural practices such as dance, language, and canoe building may have been like.{{cite journal|doi=10.1353/cp.2015.0021|title=Guam |year=2015 |last1=Marsh |first1=Kelly G. |last2=Taitano |first2=Tyrone J. |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |volume=27 |pages=223–232 |s2cid=258106437 }}

File:Everyone Matters II - panoramio (cropped).jpg team at Tumon]]

Guam's most popular sport is American football, followed by basketball and baseball respectively. Soccer, Jiu Jitsu, and Rugby are also somewhat popular.{{cite news |author1=Robert Balajadia |title=GUAM'S FAVORITE PRO TEAMS |url=https://www.guamsportsnetwork.com/2014/guams-favorite-pro-teams/ |access-date=January 21, 2021 |work=Guam Sports Network |date=January 10, 2014 |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120163244/https://www.guamsportsnetwork.com/2014/guams-favorite-pro-teams/ |url-status=live }} Guam hosted the Pacific Games in 1975 and 1999. At the 2007 Games, Guam finished 7th of 22 countries in the medal count, and 14th at the 2011 Games.

Guam men's national basketball team and the women's team are traditional powerhouses in the Oceania region, behind the Australia men's national basketball team and the New Zealand national basketball team. {{as of|2019}}, the men's team is the reigning champion of the Pacific Games Basketball Tournament. Guam is home to various basketball organizations, including the Guam Basketball Association.{{Cite web|url=https://www.guamsportsnetwork.com/2017/gba-bombers-hold-off-mvp-season-3-title/|title=GBA: Bombers hold off MVP for season 3 title|date=May 30, 2017 |access-date=June 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717021834/https://www.guamsportsnetwork.com/2017/gba-bombers-hold-off-mvp-season-3-title/|archive-date=July 17, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Jojo Santo|last=Tomas|title=Samoa Pacific Games: Guam basketball teams notch wins|url=https://eu.guampdn.com/story/sports/pacific-games/2019/07/12/guam-basketball-samoa-pacific-games/1721976001/|access-date=January 10, 2021|work=Pacific Daily News|date=April 9, 2020}}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The Guam national football team was founded in 1975 and joined FIFA in 1996. It was once considered one of FIFA's weakest teams, and experienced their first victory over a FIFA-registered side in 2009. Guam hosted qualifying games on the island for the first time in 2015 and, in 2018, clinched their first FIFA World Cup Qualifying win.{{Cite web|title=2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Qualifiers - Asia |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/index.html#275171|website=FIFA.com|access-date=September 12, 2015|last=FIFA.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905082559/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/asia/index.html#275171|archive-date=September 5, 2015}} The Guam national rugby union team played its first match in 2005 and has never qualified for a Rugby World Cup.

As an aspect of cultural revival, sling competitions are also being organized on Guam. As a national pastime of cultural import, the ovoid shape on Guamanian flag is that of a sling stone.{{cite web |url=https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1581637436 |title=Slinging.org Forum - Guam 2021 |access-date=January 21, 2021 |work=Guam Sports Network |date=December 10, 2020 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118040452/https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1581637436 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Guam And {{as written|I|t's [sic]}} Potential Impact On The Global Slinging Community |url=https://fokai.tv/guam-and-its-potential-impact-on-the-global-slinging-community-slinging-org/ |website=Fokai |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323075912/https://fokai.tv/guam-and-its-potential-impact-on-the-global-slinging-community-slinging-org/ |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=April 7, 2023 }}

File:The beach of Guam Reef Resort, Tumon Bay, USA (8575993301).jpg]]

{{main|Economy of Guam}}

{{See also|Energy in Guam|Underwater diving on Guam}}

Guam's economy depends primarily on tourism, Department of Defense installations and locally owned businesses. Under the provisions of a special law by Congress, it is Guam's treasury rather than the U.S. treasury that receives the federal income taxes paid by local taxpayers, including military and civilian federal employees assigned to Guam.Lin, Tom C.W., [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3454210 Americans, Almost and Forgotten] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921093931/https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3454210 |date=September 21, 2020 }}, 107 California Law Review (2019)

{{See also|Underwater diving on Guam}}

Guam, situated in the western Pacific, has long been a favored destination for tourists, particularly from Japan and South Korea. The island's tourism hub, Tumon, boasts over 20 large hotels, the Duty Free Shoppers Galleria, the Pleasure Island district, an indoor aquarium, Sandcastle Las Vegas–styled shows, and various shopping and entertainment venues. Additionally, Guam offers seven public golf courses, catering to a diverse range of visitors.{{cite web|url=http://www.visitguam.org/members/?pg=research|title=Guam Visitors Bureau Tourist Statistics|access-date=August 27, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827061618/http://www.visitguam.org/members/?pg=research|archive-date=August 27, 2007}}. visitguam.org

Historically, Japanese tourists comprised a significant portion of Guam's visitors. In 2019, approximately 685,000 Japanese travelers visited the island. However, this number declined to around 135,760 in 2023, reflecting broader shifts in travel patterns and external factors affecting global tourism.{{Cite web |title=Japan: traveler numbers to Guam 2023 {{!}} Statista |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/786657/number-japanese-travelers-to-guam/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809194242/https://www.statista.com/statistics/786657/number-japanese-travelers-to-guam/ |archive-date=August 9, 2024 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Statista |language=en |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Tourism Recovery Plan for Guam |url=https://bsp.guam.gov/wp-bsp-content/uploads/2025/01/Updated-Guam-Tourism-Recovery-Plan_December-17-2024_FINAL.pdf}} In recent years, South Korean tourists have become increasingly prominent. For instance, in May and June of 2024, South Korean visitors accounted for over 51% of Guam's total arrivals, while Japanese tourists comprised over 21%. Other significant visitor groups include travelers from the United States mainland, Hawaii, the Philippines, and Taiwan.{{Cite web |title=Bad news and bright spots: Guam’s tourism industry in 2024 {{!}} Marianas Business Journal |url=https://www.mbjguam.com/bad-news-and-bright-spots-guam%E2%80%99s-tourism-industry-2024 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.mbjguam.com |language=en-US}}

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on Guam's tourism industry. In 2023, the island recorded approximately 656,000 visitor arrivals, a 50% decrease compared to 2013 figures. Despite these challenges, the industry has shown signs of recovery, with 775,000 passenger arrivals reported at the Guam International Airport during the 2024 fiscal year (October-July). While this indicated an upward trend, it remained below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.

File:Micronesia Mall1.JPG

The tourism industry remains a cornerstone of Guam's economy, providing over 21,000 jobs, which constitute about one-third of the island's workforce. Major attractions contributing to the island's appeal include duty-free designer shopping outlets and American-style malls such as Micronesia Mall, Guam Premier Outlets, Agana Shopping Center, and the world's largest Kmart.{{cite news |last1=Jordan |first1=Mary |last2=Sullivan |first2=Kevin |date=January 2, 1999 |title=KMART IS AN EASY SELL ON GUAM |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/01/02/kmart-is-an-easy-sell-on-guam/74091263-e16f-488b-bca2-8ead3dbe5205/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114073224/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/01/02/kmart-is-an-easy-sell-on-guam/74091263-e16f-488b-bca2-8ead3dbe5205/ |archive-date=November 14, 2016 |access-date=August 9, 2017 |newspaper=Washington Post}}

In 2003, Guam had a 14% unemployment rate, and the government suffered a $314 million budget shortfall.{{cite web|url=http://pacificweb.org/guam/2004+Guam+Yearbook/2004_Guam_Yearbook_FinalR2_Full+Version.pdf|title=2004 Guam Yearbook|access-date=July 19, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051029043436/http://pacificweb.org/guam/2004%20Guam%20Yearbook/2004_Guam_Yearbook_FinalR2_Full%20Version.pdf|archive-date=October 29, 2005}} As of 2019 the unemployment rate had dropped to 6.1%. By September 2020, the unemployment rate had risen again to 17.9%.{{cite web|url=http://bls.guam.gov/|title=Guam BLS|access-date=February 11, 2021|archive-date=February 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213092008/http://bls.guam.gov/|url-status=live}} As of June 2023 the unemployment rate had fallen to 4.0%.{{Cite web |title=Unemployment Situation on Guam – Bureau of Labor Statistics |url=https://bls.guam.gov/unemployment-situation-on-guam/ |access-date=November 22, 2023}} The unemployment rate in Guam for September 2023 was 4.1%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from the June 2023 figure of 4.0%, and a reduction of 0.3 percentage points from the September 2022 figure one year earlier of 4.4%.{{cite web | url=https://bls.guam.gov/unemployment-situation-on-guam/ | title=Unemployment Situation on Guam – Bureau of Labor Statistics }}

The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) between the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau accords the former entities of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands a political status of "free association" with the United States. The Compacts generally allow citizens of these island nations to reside in the 50 United States, and in US territories. Many people from other Pacific islands were attracted to Guam due to its proximity, environmental, and cultural familiarity.

Due to the impact of increased utilization of public assistance programs due to immigration, aid has been provided to the nations receiving immigrants. In 2003, the amended COFA was enacted, which provided 30 million dollars annually to Guam, Hawaii, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as to forgive 157 million dollars of Guam's debt to the federal government to offset money already spent on public assistance programs.{{Cite act | title = Compact of Free Associate Amendments Act of 2003 | year = 2003 | url = https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/uploads/public-law-108-188-December-17-2003.pdf}} In 2024, the COFA was amended again to renew aid the freely associated nations as well as Guam and other U.S. Pacific territories.{{Cite act | title = Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 | year = 2024 | url = https://www.congress.gov/118/plaws/publ42/PLAW-118publ42.pdf}}

File:U.S. Department of Defense lands on Guam, 2010 (cropped).jpg

Joint Region Marianas maintains jurisdiction over installations, which cover approximately {{convert|39000|acre|ha}}, or 29% of the island's total land area. These include:

• U.S. Naval Base Guam, U.S. Navy (Santa Rita), comprising the Orote Peninsula, additional lands, and with jurisdiction of the majority of Apra Harbor
• Andersen Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force (Yigo), including Northwest Field
• Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, U.S. Marine Corps (Dededo)
• Ordnance Annex, U.S. Navy – South Central Highlands (formerly known as Naval Magazine)
• Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Guam, U.S. Navy (Dededo), sometimes referred to "NCTS Finegayan"
• Naval Radio Station Barrigada (Barrigada), often referred to as "Radio Barrigada"
• Joint Region Marianas Headquarters (Asan), at Nimitz Hill Annex
• Naval Hospital Guam (Agana Heights)
• South Finegayan (Dededo), a military housing complex
• Andersen South (Yigo), formerly Marine Barracks Guam until its closure in 1992
• Fort Juan Muña, Guam National Guard (Tamuning)

In 2010, the U.S. military proposed building a new aircraft carrier berth on Guam and moving 8,600 Marines, and 9,000 of their dependents, to Guam from Okinawa, Japan. Including the required construction workers, this buildup would increase Guam's population by a total of 79,000, a 49% increase over its 2010 population of 160,000. In a February 2010 letter, the United States Environmental Protection Agency sharply criticized these plans because of a water shortfall, sewage problems and the impact on coral reefs.{{cite news|last=McAvoy|first=Audrey|title=EPA sharply criticizes military's Guam plan|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=December 28, 2010|date=February 25, 2010|url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/02/25/epa_sharply_criticizes_militarys_guam_plan/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512013841/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/02/25/epa_sharply_criticizes_militarys_guam_plan/|archive-date=May 12, 2011}} As of 2022, the Marine Corps has decided to place 5,000 Marines on the island within the first half of the 2020s, with 1,300 already stationed on the base.{{Cite web |title=Marine Corps activates Camp Blaz in Guam |url=https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/2367980/marine-corps-activates-camp-blaz-in-guam/ |access-date=March 8, 2022 |website=United States Marine Corps Flagship |language=en-US |archive-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308222412/https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/2367980/marine-corps-activates-camp-blaz-in-guam/ |url-status=live }}

File:Lou Leon Guerrero in 2018.jpeg]]

{{See also|Politics of Guam|Voting in Guam|Political party strength in Guam|Government of Guam}}

Guam is governed by a popularly elected governor and a unicameral 15-member legislature, whose members are known as senators. Its judiciary is overseen by the Supreme Court of Guam.

The District Court of Guam is the court of United States federal jurisdiction in the territory. Guam elects one delegate to the United States House of Representatives, currently Republican James Moylan. The delegate does not have a vote on the final passage of legislation, but is accorded a vote in committee, and the privilege to speak to the House.

U.S. citizens in Guam vote in a presidential straw poll for their choice in the U.S. presidential general election, but since Guam has no votes in the Electoral College, 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. These delegates are elected by local party conventions.

File:James Moylan official photo.jpg is the Delegate for Guam's at-large congressional district.]]

In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a significant movement in favor of this U.S. territory becoming a commonwealth, which would give it a level of self-government similar to Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. In a 1982 plebiscite, voters indicated interest in seeking commonwealth status.{{Cite news|url=http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/pdf/crp_2012_guam.pdf|title=Statement of the Non-Self Governing Territory of Guam to the Pacific Regional Seminar on the implementation of the third decade for the eradication of colonialism: current realities and prospects in Quito, Ecuador|last=Natividad|first=Lisalinda|date=May 30, 2012|work=United Nations|access-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412031009/https://www.un.org/en/decolonization/pdf/crp_2012_guam.pdf|archive-date=April 12, 2019|url-status=live}} However, the federal government rejected the version of a commonwealth that the government of Guam proposed, because its clauses were incompatible with the Territorial Clause (Art. IV, Sec. 3, cl. 2) of the U.S. Constitution.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}{{when|date=August 2023}} Other movements advocate U.S. statehood for Guam, union with the state of Hawaii, or union with the Northern Mariana Islands as a single territory, or independence.{{cite web|url=http://www.guampedia.com/commission-on-decolonization|title=Commission on Decolonization 2014|author=|date=December 3, 2016|website=Guampedia|access-date=February 27, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228163623/http://www.guampedia.com/commission-on-decolonization/|archive-date=February 28, 2017}}

The first Guam Constitutional Convention was funded by the 10th Guam Legislature and met from June 1, 1969, through June 29, 1970, with 43 elected delegates. The second Guam Constitutional Convention was convened on July 1, 1977, to create a constitution for Guam that would redefine the island's relationship with the US rather than merely modifying the existing relationship. The convention met periodically through October 31, 1977. Although approved at the federal level, the people of Guam overwhelmingly rejected the Constitution in a referendum held in August 1979, with 82% opposed. No new convention has been held pursuant to US congressional authority since 1979.{{Cite web|url=https://www.guampedia.com/guam-constitutional-conventions-concon/|title=Guam Constitutional Conventions (ConCon) - Guampedia|date=August 27, 2013|website=www.guampedia.com}}

A Commission on Decolonization was established in 1997 to educate the people of Guam about the various political status options in its relationship with the U.S.: statehood, free association, and independence. The island has been considering another non-binding plebiscite on decolonization since 1998. The group was dormant for some years. In 2013, the commission began seeking funding to start a public education campaign. There were few subsequent developments until late 2016. In early December 2016, the Commission scheduled a series of education sessions in various villages about the current status of Guam's relationship with the U.S. and the self-determination options that might be considered.{{cite news |url=http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/12/07/commission-launch-series-decolonization-meetings/95076830/ |title=Commission to launch series of decolonization meetings |last=Raymundo |first=Shawn |date=December 8, 2016 |newspaper=Pacific Daily News |access-date=February 27, 2017}} The commission's current executive director is Edward Alvarez and there are ten members. The group is expected to release position papers on independence and statehood but the contents have not yet been completed.

The United Nations is in favor of greater self-determination for Guam and other such territories. The UN's Special Committee on Decolonization has agreed to endorse the Governor's education plan. The commission's May 2016 report states: "With academics from the University of Guam, [the Commission] was working to create and approve educational materials. The Office of the Governor was collaborating closely with the Commission" in developing educational materials for the public.{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/gacol3290.doc.htm|title=Secretary-General Urges Concrete Action to Advance Decolonization Agenda as Pacific Regional Seminar Convenes|author=|date=May 31, 2016|website=United Nations|access-date=February 27, 2017|quote="Let us seize this opportunity to identify concrete actions to advance the decolonization agenda," Mr. Ban said ... according to the United Nations Charter and relevant General Assembly resolutions, a full measure of self-government could be achieved through independence, integration or free association with another State. The choice should be the result of the freely expressed will and desire of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228082817/http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/gacol3290.doc.htm|archive-date=February 28, 2017}}

The United States Department of the Interior approved a $300,000 grant for decolonization education, Edward Alvarez told the United Nations Pacific Regional Seminar in May 2016. "We are hopeful that this might indicate a shift in [United States] policy to its Non-Self-Governing Territories such as Guam, where they will be more willing to engage in discussions about our future and offer true support to help push us towards true self-governances and self-determination."{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/gacol3290.doc.htm|title=Secretary-General Urges Concrete Action to Advance Decolonization Agenda as Pacific Regional Seminar Convenes|author=|date=May 31, 2016|website=United Nations|access-date=February 27, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228082817/http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/gacol3290.doc.htm|archive-date=February 28, 2017}}

On July 31, 2020, the Government of Guam joined the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO).{{Cite web |title=UNPO Welcomes 5 New Members! |work=unpo.org |date=August 3, 2020 |access-date=August 7, 2020 |url=https://unpo.org/article/22010 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806201317/https://unpo.org/article/22010 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Guam: Territory to be Inducted into UNPO |work=unpo.org |date=July 31, 2020 |access-date=August 7, 2020 |url=https://unpo.org/article/22015 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809004427/https://unpo.org/article/22015 |url-status=live }}

Its future political status has been a matter of significant discussion, with public opinion polls indicating a strong preference of becoming a U.S state.

File:Hagatna from Fort Santa Agueda.JPG from the Spanish-built Fort Santa Agueda]]

{{Main|Villages of Guam}}

{{see also|List of census-designated places in Guam}}

Guam is divided into 19 municipal villages:

{{div col|colwidth=16em}}

• Agana Heights
• Asan‑Maina
• Barrigada
• Chalan Pago‑Ordot
• Dededo
• Hågat
• Hagåtña
• Humåtak
• Inalåhan
• Malesso'
• Mangilao
• Mongmong‑Toto‑Maite
• Piti
• Sånta Rita-Sumai
• Sinajana
• Talo'fo'fo
• Tamuning
• Yigo
• Yona

{{div end}}

The entirety of Guam is treated as both a territory and a county equivalent by the US Census, but the USGS counts the villages as county equivalents.{{cite web|url = https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-counties-are-there-united-states|title = How many counties are there in the United States?|website = USGS.gov|access-date = July 7, 2018|archive-date = September 7, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180907033534/https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-counties-are-there-united-states|url-status = dead}}

{{Main|Communications in Guam|Transportation in Guam}}

File:Guam route marker 8.svg

Most of the island has state-of-the-art mobile phone services and high-speed internet widely available through either cable or DSL. Guam was added to the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in 1997. The country code 671 became NANP area code 671.{{cite web|url=http://www.nanpa.com/pdf_previous/08_02_99/pl_nanp_004.pdf|title=PL-NANP-004|author=J. N. Deak|date=August 5, 1996|publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administration|access-date=October 12, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126175014/http://nanpa.com/pdf_previous/08_02_99/pl_nanp_004.pdf|archive-date=November 26, 2010}} This removed the barrier of high-cost international long-distance calls to the continental U.S.

Guam is a major hub for submarine communications cables between the Western U.S., Hawaii, Australia and Asia. Guam currently serves twelve submarine cables, with most continuing to China. In 2012 Slate stated that the island has "tremendous bandwidth" and internet prices comparable to those of the U.S. Mainland due to being at the junction of undersea cables.{{cite web|author=Calabrese, Michael|author2=Daniel Calarco|author3=Colin Richardson|url=https://slate.com/technology/2012/05/internet-access-and-cost-in-american-samoa-northern-marianas-islands-guam.html|title=The Most Expensive Internet in America|work=Slate|date=May 24, 2012|access-date=January 6, 2020|archive-date=December 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218143415/https://slate.com/technology/2012/05/internet-access-and-cost-in-american-samoa-northern-marianas-islands-guam.html|url-status=live}}

In 1899, the local postage stamps were overprinted "Guam" as was done for the other former Spanish colonies, but this was discontinued shortly thereafter and regular U.S. postage stamps have been used ever since. Guam is part of the U.S. Postal System (postal abbreviation: GU, ZIP code range: 96910–96932). Mail to Guam from the U.S. mainland is considered domestic and no additional charges are required. Private shipping companies, such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL, however, have no obligation to do so, and do not regard Guam as domestic.

The speed of mail traveling between Guam and the states varies depending on size and time of year. Light, first-class items generally take less than a week to or from the mainland. Larger first-class or Priority items can take a week or two. Fourth-class mail, such as magazines, are transported by sea after reaching Hawaii. Most residents use post office boxes or private mail boxes, although residential delivery is becoming increasingly available.

File:140819-D-DT527-135 (14792598170).jpg, 2014]]

The Port of Guam is the island's lifeline, because most products must be shipped into Guam for consumers. It receives the weekly calls of the Hawaii-based shipping line Matson, Inc. whose container ships connect Guam with Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles, California; Oakland, California; and Seattle, Washington. The port is also the regional transhipment hub for over 500,000 customers throughout the Micronesian region. The port is the shipping and receiving point for containers designated for the island's U.S. Department of Defense installations, Andersen Air Force Base and Commander, Naval Forces Marianas and eventually the Third Marine Expeditionary Force.

Guam is served by the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport. The island is outside the United States customs zone,[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2016-title19/html/USCODE-2016-title19-chap4-subtitleIII-partI-subparta-sec1401.htm 19 U.S.C. § 1401(h)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731062243/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2016-title19/html/USCODE-2016-title19-chap4-subtitleIII-partI-subparta-sec1401.htm|date=July 31, 2018}} . so Guam is responsible for establishing and operating its own customs and quarantine agency and jurisdiction.[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2018-title19-vol1/xml/CFR-2018-title19-vol1-sec7-2.xml 19 C.F.R. § 7.2(b) (2018)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731062149/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2018-title19-vol1/xml/CFR-2018-title19-vol1-sec7-2.xml|date=July 31, 2018}} .{{hs}}{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9438365734100701234|title=People of Territory of Guam v. Sugiyama, 846 F. 2d 570 – Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit 1988 – Google Scholar|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=September 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921093928/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9438365734100701234|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10182869947278559413|title=People of Territory of Guam v. SUGIYAMA, 859 F. 2d 1428 – Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit 1988 – Google Scholar|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=September 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921093938/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10182869947278559413|url-status=live}}{{hs}}[http://www.guamcourts.org/CompilerofLaws/GCA/05gca/5gc073.pdf#page=13 5 Guam Code Ann. § 73126 (2005)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412031010/http://www.guamcourts.org/CompilerofLaws/GCA/05gca/5gc073.pdf#page=13|date=April 12, 2019}} . Therefore, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection only carries out immigration, but not customs functions. Since Guam is under federal immigration jurisdiction, passengers arriving directly from the United States skip immigration and proceed directly to Guam Customs and Quarantine.

Due to the Guam and CNMI visa waiver program for certain countries, an eligibility pre-clearance check is carried on Guam for flights to the States. For travel from the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam, a pre-flight passport and visa check is performed before boarding the flight to Guam. On flights from Guam to the Northern Mariana Islands, no immigration check is performed. Traveling between Guam and the States through a foreign point requires a passport.

Most residents travel within Guam using personally owned vehicles. The Guam Regional Transit Authority provides fixed route bus and paratransit services, and some commercial companies operate buses between tourist-frequented locations.

{{See also|List of schools in Guam}}

File:Umatac Outdoor Library 1.jpg, built in 1933, was the first library in southern Guam.]]

Guam Public Library System operates the Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library in Hagåtña and five branch libraries.{{cite web|url=http://www.opaguam.org/sites/default/files/CITIZEN-CENTRIC%20REPORT%20FY2011_0.pdf|title=Guam Public Library System – A Report To Our Citizens|access-date=September 25, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918022432/http://www.opaguam.org/sites/default/files/CITIZEN-CENTRIC%20REPORT%20FY2011_0.pdf|archive-date=September 18, 2017}}

The Guam Department of Education serves the entire island of Guam. In 2000, 32,000 students attended Guam's public schools, including 26 elementary schools, eight middle schools, and six high schools and alternative schools. Guam Public Schools have struggled with problems such as high dropout rates and poor test scores.{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/merrow/tv/ftw/intro.html|title=Merrow Report: First to Worst|website=PBS|access-date=November 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810064606/https://www.pbs.org/merrow/tv/ftw/intro.html|archive-date=August 10, 2007}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nagb.org/pubs/1996science/stat_tbl.html#tab10|year=1996|title=State Comparisons|access-date=November 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713093749/http://www.nagb.org/pubs/1996science/stat_tbl.html#tab10|archive-date=July 13, 2007|url-status=live}}

Guam's educational system has always faced unique challenges as a small community located {{convert|6000|mi|km}} from the U.S. mainland with a very diverse student body including many students who come from backgrounds without traditional American education.{{cite journal|last=Grace|first=Ted|author2=Teresita Salos|title=Guam's Education Marches On|journal=Peabody Journal of Education|volume=44|issue=1|pages=37–39|year=1966|doi=10.1080/01619566609537383}} An economic downturn in Guam since the mid-1990s has compounded the problems in schools.{{cite web|url=http://www.guamlegislature.com/25th_Guam_Legislature/Bills_Introduced_25th/Bill%20No.%20089.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214003451/http://www.guamlegislature.com/25th_Guam_Legislature/Bills_Introduced_25th/Bill%20No.%20089.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 14, 2007|year=1999|title=An act to establish a guam parental school choice program|access-date=November 8, 2007}}

Before September 1997, the U.S. Department of Defense partnered with the Guam Board of Education."[http://www.newspaperarchive.com/LandingPage.aspx?type=glp&search=%22rats%2c%20other%20problems%20face%20guam%20schools%22&img=\\na0041\6800243\56035875_clean.html Rats, other problems face Guam schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119144600/http://www.newspaperarchive.com/LandingPage.aspx?type=glp&search=%22rats%2c%20other%20problems%20face%20guam%20schools%22&img=%5C%5Cna0041%5C6800243%5C56035875_clean.html|date=January 19, 2012}}." Pacific Stars and Stripes. October 3, 1993. In September 1997, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) opened its own schools for children of military personnel.[https://archive.today/20120912002508/http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=12381 Guam School to Be Renamed in Honor of NASA Astronaut William McCool|SpaceRef – Your Space Reference]. SpaceRef (August 21, 2003). Retrieved June 13, 2012. DoDEA schools, which also serve children of some federal civilian employees, had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. DoDEA Guam operates three elementary/middle schools and one high school.{{cite web|url=http://www.pac.dodea.edu/aboutus/contacts/ContactSchools.htm|title=District and School Contact Information|work=pac.dodea.edu|access-date=May 10, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509143001/http://www.pac.dodea.edu/aboutus/contacts/ContactSchools.htm|archive-date=May 9, 2006}}

The University of Guam (UOG) and Guam Community College, both fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, offer courses in higher education.{{cite web|url=http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2006/june/06%2D15%2Ded.htm|date=June 15, 2006|work=Pacific Islands Report|title=Politics Trumps Performance in Guam School System|access-date=June 16, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006101300/http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2006/june/06-15-ed.htm|archive-date=October 6, 2007}} UOG is a member of the exclusive group of only 106 land-grant institutions in the entire United States. Pacific Islands University is a small Christian liberal arts institution, nationally accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.

{{further|2020 coronavirus pandemic in Guam}}

The Government of Guam maintains the island's main health care facility, Guam Memorial Hospital, in Tamuning.[http://www.gmha.org/ Welcome to the official Guam Memorial Hospital Authority Website! – Tonyt] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124011002/http://www.gmha.org/|date=November 24, 2009}}. Gmha.org. Retrieved June 13, 2012. U.S. board certified doctors and dentists practice in all specialties. The U.S. Naval Hospital in Agana Heights serves active-duty members and dependents of the military community.[http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/usnhguam/Pages/default.aspx U.S Naval Hospital Guam] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617152539/http://www.med.navy.mil/SITES/USNHGUAM/Pages/default.aspx|date=June 17, 2012}}. United States Navy

There is one subscriber-based air ambulance located on the island, CareJet, which provides emergency patient transportation across Guam and surrounding islands.{{cite web|url=http://airmedical.net/2012/09/10/guams-carejet-program-resumes-service/|title=Guam's CareJet Program Resumes Service|work=Air Medical Net|date=September 10, 2012|access-date=April 21, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405092209/http://airmedical.net/2012/09/10/guams-carejet-program-resumes-service/|archive-date=April 5, 2016}} A private hospital, the Guam Regional Medical City, opened in early 2016.{{cite news |last=Sablan |first=Jerick |url=http://www.guampdn.com/story/entertainment/2015/12/31/no-5-guam-regional-medical-city-opens/77077524/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200210172345/http://www.guampdn.com/story/entertainment/2015/12/31/no-5-guam-regional-medical-city-opens/77077524/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |title=No. 5: Guam Regional Medical City opens |date=January 4, 2016 |work=Pacific Daily News |access-date=April 21, 2016 }} Medicaid is accepted in Guam.{{Cite web|url=https://www.medicaid.gov/state-overviews/guam.html|title=Guam | Medicaid|website=www.medicaid.gov|access-date=October 9, 2021|archive-date=October 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009232016/https://www.medicaid.gov/state-overviews/guam.html|url-status=live}}

{{portal|History||Islands|Oceania|United States|}}

• 51st state
• Index of Guam-related articles
• Lists of hospitals in the United States#Insular areas
• List of people from Guam
• Outline of Guam
• Voting in Guam

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |last1=Cunningham |first1=Lawrence J. |last2=Beaty |first2=Janice J. |title=A History of Guam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZsZP537hdbIC |date=January 1, 2001 |publisher=Bess Press |isbn=978-1-57306-068-4}}
• {{cite book |last=Safford |first=William Edwin |title=Guam, an Account of Its Discovery and Reduction, Physical Geography and Natural History: And the Social and Economic Conditions on the Island During the First Year of the American Occupation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aIoKAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA9 |edition=Public domain |year=1912 |publisher=General Books}}
• {{cite book |last1=Wuerch |first1=William L. |last2=Ballendorf |first2=Dirk Anthony |title=Historical Dictionary of Guam and Micronesia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h5EE-AVNT98C&pg=PA44 |date=January 1, 1994 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-2858-2}}

• {{cite book |last=Maga |first=Timothy P. |title=Defending Paradise: The United States and Guam, 1898–1950 |publisher=Garland |year=1988}}
• {{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Robert F. |title=Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=1995}}
• {{cite encyclopedia |last=Spear |first=Jane E. |title=Guamanian Americans |encyclopedia=Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America |editor-first=Thomas |editor-last=Riggs |edition=3rd |volume=2 |publisher=Gale |year=2014 |pages=263–273 |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273300082/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=52d93d45}}

{{Sister project links|Guam|voy=Guam|n=Category:Guam|d=Q16635|q=no|b=no|v=no|s=Portal:Guam}}

• {{official website|http://www.guam.gov/}}
• [http://guampedia.com/ Guampedia] – Guam's online Encyclopedia
• [https://guamsocietyinc.org/guam-society-history/ "Guam Society of America"], fosters the Chamorro language, culture, and traditions
• [http://www.theinsularempire.com/ The Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands], PBS documentary film website.
• [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/guam/ Guam]. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
• [https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2001/dec/dmd01-icdppi.html U.S. Census Bureau: Island Areas Census 2000]
• [https://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri034126/htdocs/wrir03-4126.html Geology and Hydrology of Guam]
• [https://www.loc.gov/rr/international/hispanic/guam/guam.html Portals to the World: Guam] from the U.S. Library of Congress. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100814101722/http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/hispanic/guam/guam.html |date=August 14, 2010 }}
• {{wikiatlas|Guam}}
• {{osmrelation-inline|306001}}{{Clear}}
• [https://bsp.guam.gov/census-of-guam/ Guam Census] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005014825/https://bsp.guam.gov/census-of-guam/ |date=October 5, 2022 }})

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