Guam

Overview

Guam is an island in the western North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. It is the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago. Guam is a territory of the United States of America. It is considered to occupy a militarily strategic location, south of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Guam is one of many islands that make of Micronesia, which politically consists of Belau (Palau), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati (anthropologically having affinities with Polynesia and Micronesia), the Marshall Islands, and several remote islands designated as the U.S.-administered islands of the Central Pacific. All of Micronesia has close political ties to the United States of America. As the island is a US Naval base, there is quite a mix of people living there.In addition to the indigenous Chamorros and 'stateside' Americans, Guam boasts large populations of Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Micronesian Islanders, as well as a few Vietnamese, Indians, and Europeans. Cliffs, caves, mountains and waterfalls present the visitor with adventurous terrain for when the western beaches with their coral reefs prove too relaxing. Having been under Spanish rule for over three centuries there are a large number of buildings in the architectural style of that period. Generally, Guam is not visited for its cultural attractions but for its diving, golf and shopping possibilities. The cultural side takes more effort than usual...more

History

Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific.