| Guam Basic Information | ||||
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| TravelMart.net » Guam Hotels & Resorts » Guam Basic Information | ||||
| Experience the warmth of paradise in America's tropical isle! Guam is America's secret tropical isle, floating in the vast Pacific Ocean in Asia and on the westernmost frontier of the United States. Guam is accessible by air from most major Asian cities with an average flight time of three to four hours. Guam is the largest and most southern island in the Mariana Islands archipelago in the western North Pacific Ocean, covering 212 square miles and with a population of over 160,000 people. Guam has pristine beaches, championship golf courses, world class diving and snorkeling site, and a variety of cultural and historical sites, activities and events. It is a safe and clean destination enjoyed by visitors from around the world, including Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, and more. Guam's dramatic coastline and white sand beaches are ringed by coral reefs and clear, crystalline waters teeming with exotic marine life and blesses by a balmy tropical climate and gentle trade winds. The Marianas Trench, the deepest point in the world, is only a mile and a half off the coast of Guam in blue water. An arc-shaped valley extending generally northeast to southwest for 1,580 miles, its average width is 40 miles. come visit Guam, the gateway to Magnificent Micronesia... Geography Guam, an island territory of the United States, is located 900 miles north of the equator in the Western Pacific. From four to eight miles in with and 32 miles long, Guam covers approximately 220 square miles (549 sq. km.) - the largest island in Micronesia and the gateway to the region. It is approximately 6,000 miles from San Francisco; 3,800 miles west of Honolulu; 1,500 miles south of Japan; 1,596 miles from the Philippines and 2,026 miles east of Hong Kong. The southernmost of the Mariana Islands, Guam shares a common culture with rest of the group, which also includes Saipan, Rota, and Tinian. The island was created from the peaks of two ancient volcanoes that sank into the sea and were fused together millions of years ago. The capital of Guam is Hågatña (Agana). POPULATION The population of Guam is approximately 166,090 (June 2004 est.) and can be divided into three ethnic groups. Chamorros, Guam's original inhabitants, make up approximately 37% of the population, Filipinos 26%, Caucasian (including military personnel and families) 10%, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and others 27%. Age distribution: 1-4 years: 35.1%, 15-64 years: 58.4%, 65+ years: 6.4%. Population growth rate: 1.5%. POLITICAL STATUS & FORM OF GOVERNMENT Organized, unincorporated territory of the U.S. The government has three branches as set up by Congress through the Organic Act in 1950, and one (1) non-voting Congressional delegate to the House of Representatives. BRIEF HISTORY The first inhabitants of Guam, the Chamorro people, are thought to have travelled to the Mariana Islands from Southeast Asia by canoe. They developed a clan and caste system as part of a matrilineal society and they lived isolated from the rest of the world. Ferdinand Magellan was the first westerner to set footh on Guam in 1521. Nearly 50 years later, Spain claimed the Marianas and controlled them for more than 300 years. Jesuit missionaries brought Catholicism and a western way of life to the island. Because of its location between the Philippines and Mexico, Guam became an important link in the Spanish empire and culture, with the church as the center of village life. A new era began in 1898, when the island became a U.S. territory after the Spanish-American War. Japanese forces invaded in 1941 and assumed control of the island July 1944, when U.S. troops reclaimed it. The Organic Act, signed by President Truman in 1950, made guam an unincorporated territory and its people American citizens, as they remain today. CLIMATE Located in the tropics, Guam's average yearly temperature is 85 degrees fahrenheit. The temperature rarely falls below 70 degrees or rises above 90 degrees. The average water temperature is also 85 degrees, providing excellent opportunities for a variety of water sports. July through November is the rainy season and december through June the dry season. September and October are the wettest months, averaging about 14 inches of rainfall. |
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USA: +1(310)691-8047, +1(818)793-5651, +1(805)426-4564, Guam: +1(671)488-3878, Philippines: +63(2)687-2343, +63(2)910-0201
Office hours: Mondays-Fridays 8:30am-6:00pm, Saturdays 9:00am-4:00pm, GMT +8:00; OR leave your message on the voice mail.
Fax Numbers: USA: +1(801)805-6622, Guam: +1(671)632-8118, Philippines: +63(2)687-5465
If you are dialing from within Canada, US, or any Pacific or Carribean Island to the UK or to Philippines,
dial international access code: 011.
This page was last modified on Monday, 28 Apr 2008
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